NED  MYERS; 


OR, 


A  LIFE   BEFORE   THE   MAST. 


BY    J.    FENIMORE    COOPER. 


Thou  unrelenting  Part! 
Strong  are  the  barriers  round  thy  dark  domain, 

And  fetters  sure  and  fast 
HoM  all  that  enter  thy  unbreathing  reign. 

Bryant. 


NEW     EDITION. 


NEW    YORK: 
STRINGER      AND      TOWNSENI* 

185G. 


NED  MYERS. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843,  by 
J.  FENIMORE  COOPER, 

tn  the  clerk'fc  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Northern  district  of  New- York. 


PREFACE.  y 

IT  is  an  old  remark,  that  the  life  of  any  man,  could 
the  incidents  be  faithfully  told,  would  possess  interest 
and  instruction  for  the  general  reader.  The  convic 
tion  of  the  perfect  truth  of  this  saying,  has  induced 
the  writer  to  commit  to  paper,  the  vicissitudes,  escapes, 
and  opinions  of  one  of  his  old  shipmates,  as  a  sure 
means  of  giving  the  public  some  just  notions  of  the 
career  of  a  common  sailor.  In  connection  with  the 
amusement  that  many  will  find  in  following  a  foremast 
Jack  in  his  perils  and  voyages,  however,  it  is  hoped 
that  the  experience  and  moral  change  of  Myers  may 
have  a  salutary  influence  on  the  minds  of  some  of 
those  whose  fortunes  have  been,  or  are  likely  to  be, 
cast  in  a  mould  similar  to  that  of  this  old  salt. 

As  the  reader  will  feel  a  natural  desire  to  under 
stand  how  far  the  editor  can  vouch  for  the  truth  of 
that  which  he  has  here  written,  and  to  be  informed  on 
the  subject  of  the  circumstances  that  have  brought 
him  acquainted  with  the  individual  whose  adventures 
form  the  subject  of  this  little  work,  as  much  shall  be 
old  as  may  be  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding 
of  these  two  points. 

(3) 


IV  PREFACE. 

First,  then,  as  to  the  writer's  own  knowledge  of  the 
career  of  the  subject  of  his  present  work.  In  the  year 
1806,  the  editor,  then  a  lad,  fresh  from  Yale,  and  des 
tined  for  the  navy,  made  his  first  voyage  in  a  mer 
chantman,  with  a  view  to  get  some  practical  knowledge 
of  his  profession.  This  was  the  fashion  of  the  day, 
though  its  utility,  on  the  whole,  may  very  well  be 
questioned.  The  voyage  was  a  long  one,  including 
some  six  or  eight  passages,  and  extending  to  near  the 
close  of  the  year  1807.  On  board  the  ship  was  Myers, 
an  apprentice  to  the  captain.  Ned,  as  Myers  was 
uniformly  called,  was  a  lad,  as  well  as  the  writer ; 
and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  intimacy  of  a  ship 
existed  between  them.  Ned,  however,  was  the  junior, 
and  was  not  then  compelled  to  face  all  the  hardships 
and  servitude  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  writer. 

Once,  only,  after  the  crew  was  broken  up,  did  the 
writer  and  Ned  actually  see  each  other,  and  that  only 
for  a  short  time.  This  was  in  1809.  In  1833,  they 
were,  for  half  an  hour,  on  board  the  same  ship,  with 
out  knowing  the  fact  at  the  time.  A  few  months 
since,  Ned,  rightly  imagining  that  the  author  of  the 
Pilot  must  be  his  old  shipmate,  wrote  the  former  a 
letter  to  ascertain  the  truth.  The  correspondence 
produced  a  meeting,  and  the  meeting  a  visit  from  Ned 
to  the  editor.  It  was  in  consequence  of  the  revala- 
tions  made  in  this  visit  that  the  writer  determined  to 
produce  the  following  work. 


PREFACE.  V 

The  writer  has  the  utmost  confidence  in  all  the 
statements  of  Ned,  so  far  as  intention  is  concerned. 
Should  he  not  be  mistaken  on  some  points,  he  is  an 
exception  to  the  great  rule  which  governs  the  opinions 
and  recollections  of  the  rest  of  the  human  family. 
Still,  nothing  is  related  that  the  writer  has  any  rea 
sons  for  distrusting.  In  a  few  instances  he  has  inter 
posed  his  own  greater  knowledge  of  the  world 
between  Ned's  more  limited  experience  and  the  narra 
tive;  but,  this  has  been  done  cautiously,  and  only  in 
cases  in  which  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  nar 
rator  has  been  deceived  by  appearances,  or  misled  by 
ignorance.  The  reader,  however,  is  not  to  infer  that 
Ned  has  no  greater  information  than  usually  falls  to 
the  share  of  a  foremast  hand.  This  is  far  from  being  the 
case.  When  first  known  to  the  writer,  his  knowledge 
was  materially  above  that  of  the  ordinary  class  of 
lads  in  his  situation ;  giving  ample  proof  that  he  had 
held  intercourse  with  persons  of  a  condition  in  life,  if 
not  positively  of  the  rank  of  gentlemen,  of  one  that 
was  not  much  below  it.  In  a  word,  his  intelligence 
on  general  subjects  was  such  as  might  justly  render 
him  the  subject  of  remark  on  board  a  ship.  Although 
much  of  his  after-life  was  thrown  away,  portions  of  it 
passed  in  improvement;  leaving  Ned,  at  this  moment, 
a  man  of  quick  apprehension,  considerable  knowledge, 
and  of  singularly  shrewd  comments.  If  to  this  be 
1* 


Vi  PREFACE. 

added  the  sound  and  accurate  moral  principles  that 
now  appear  to  govern  both  his  acts  and  his  opinions, 
•we  find  a  man  every  way  entitled  to  speak  for  him 
self;  the  want  of  the  habit  of  communicating  his 
thoughts  to  the  public,  alone  excepted. 

In  this  book,  the  writer  has  endeavoured  to  adhere 
as  closely  to  the  very  language  of  his  subject,  as  cir 
cumstances  will  at  all  allow ;  and  in  many  places  he 
feels  confident  that  no  art  of  his  own  could,  in  any 
respect,  improve  it. 

It  is  probable  that  a  good  deal  of  distrust  will  exist 
on  the  subject  of  the  individual  whom  Ned  supposes 
to  have  been  one  of  his  godfathers.  On  this  head  the 
writer  can  only  say,  that  the  account  which  Myers 
has  given  in  this  work,  is  substantially  the  same  as 
that  which  he  gave  the  editor  nearly  forty  years  ago, 
at  an  age  and  under  circumstances  that  forbid  the 
idea  of  any  intentional  deception.  The  account 
is  confirmed  by  his  sister,  who  is  the  oldest  of  the 
two  children,  and  who  retains  a  distinct  recollec 
tion  of  the  prince,  as  indeed  does  Ned  himself.  The 
writer  supposes  these  deserted  orphans  to  have 
been  born  out  of  wedlock — though  he  has  no  direct 
proof  to  this  effect  —  and  there  is  nothing  singular 
in  the  circumstance  of  a  man  of  the  highest  rank, 
that  of  a  sovereign  excepted,  appearing  at  the  font  in 
behalf  of  the  child  of  a  dependant.  A  member  of  the 


PREFACE.  Vll 

royal  family,  indeed,  might  be  expected  to  do  this,  to 
favour  one  widely  separated  from  him  by  birth  and 
station,  sooner  than  to  oblige  a  noble,  who  might  pos 
sibly  presume  on  the  condescension. 

It  remains  only  to  renew  the  declaration,  that  every 
part  of  this  narrative  is  supposed  to  be  true.  The 
memory  of  Ned  may  occasionally  fail  him ;  and,  as 
for  his  opinions,  they  doubtless  are  sometimes  errone 
ous  ;  but  the  writer  has  the  fullest  conviction  that  it 
is  the  intention  of  the  Old  Salt  to  relate  nothing  that 
he  does  not  believe  to  have  occurred,  or  to  express  an 
unjust  sentiment.  On  the  subject  of  his  reformation, 
so  far  as  "  the  tree  is  to  be  known  by  its  fruits"  it  is 
entirely  sincere;  the  language,  deportment,  habits, 
and  consistency  of  this  well-meaning  tar,  being  those 
of  a  cheerful  and  confiding  Christian,  without  the 
smallest  disposition  to  cant  or  exaggeration.  In  thi . 
particular,  he  is  a  living  proof  of  the  efficacy  of  faith, 
and  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enlighten  the 
darkest  understanding,  and  to  quicken  the  most 
apathetic  conscience. 


NED  MYERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  consenting  to  lay  before  the  world  the  experience  of  a 
common  seaman,  and,  I  may  add,  of  one  who  has  been  such 
a  sinner  as  the  calling  is  only  too  apt  to  produce,  I  trust 
that  no  feeling  of  vanity  has  had  an  undue  influence.  1 
love  the  seas ;  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  converse  about 
them,  and  of  the  scenes  I  have  witnessed,  and  of  the  hard- 
ships  I  have  undergone  on  their  bosom,  in  various  parts  of 
the  world.  Meeting  with  an  old  shipmate  who  is  disposed 
to  put  into  proper  form  the  facts  which  I  can  give  him,  and 
believing  that  my  narrative  may  be  useful  to  some  of  those 
who  follow  the  same  pursuit  as  that  in  which  I  have  been  so 
long  engaged,  I  see  no  evil  in  the  course  I  am  now  taking, 
while  I  humbly  trust  it  may  be  the  means  of  effecting  some 
little  good.  God  grant  that  the  pictures  I  shall  feel  bound 
to  draw  of  my  own  past  degradation  and  failings,  contrasted 
as  they  must  be  with  my  present  contentment  and  hopes,  may 
induce  some  one,  at  least,  of  my  readers  to  abandon  the  ex 
cesses  so  common  among  seamen,  and  to  turn  their  eyes  in 
the  direction  of  those  great  truths  which  are  so  powerful  to 
reform,  and  so  convincing  when  regarded  with  humility,  and 
with  a  just  understanding  of  our  own  weaknesses. 

I  know  nothing  of  my  family,  except  through  my  own 
youthful  recollections,  and  the  accounts  I  have  received  from 
my  sister.  My  father  I  slightly  remember ;  but  of  my  mo- 
ther  I  retain  no  distinct  impressions.  The  latter  must  have 
died  while  I  was  very  young.  The  former,  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  often  seeing,  until  I  reached  my  fifth  or  sixth  year. 
He  was  a  soldier,  and  belonged  to  the  twenty-third  regimen 
of  foot,  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  Great  Britain.*  The 

*  The  writer  left  a  blank  for  this  regiment,  and  now  inserts  it  from 
memory.  It  is  probable  ho  is  wrong. 


10  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

fourth  son  of  this  monarch,  Prince  Edward  as  he  was  then 
called,  or  the  Duke  of  Kent  as  he  was  afterwards  styled, 
commanded  the  corps,  and  accompanied  it  to  the  British 
American  colonies,  where  it  was  stationed  for  many  years. 

I  was  born  in  Quebec,  between  the  years  1792  and  1794' 
probably  in  1793.  Of  the  rank  of  my  father  in  the  regi 
ment,  I  am  unable  to  speak,  though  I  feel  pretty  confident 
he  was  a  commissioned  officer.  He  was  much  with  the 
prince ;  and  I  remember  that,  on  parade,  where  I  have  often 
seen  him,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  passing  frequently  from  the 
prince  to  the  ranks — a  circumstance  that  induces  my  old 
shipmate  to  think  he  may  have  been  the  adjutant.  My 
father,  I  have  always  understood,  was  a  native  of  Hanover, 
and  the  son  of  a  clergyman  in  that  country.  My  mother, 
also,  was  said  to  be  a  German,  though  very  little  is  now 
known  of  her  by  any  of  the  family.  She  is  described  to  me 
as  living  much  alone,  as  being  occupied  in  pursuits  very  dif 
ferent  from  those  of  my  father,  and  as  being  greatly  averse 
to  the  life  of  a  soldier. 

I  was  baptized  in  the  Church  of  England,  and,  from 
earliest  boyhood,  have  always  been  given  to  understand  that 
His  Royal  Highness,  Prince  Edward,  the  father  of  Queen 
Victoria,  stood  for  me  at  the  font ;  Major  Walker,  of  the 
same  regiment,  being  the  other  god-father,  and  Mrs.  Walker, 
his  wife,  my  god-mother.  My  real  names  are  Edward  Robert 
Meyers ;  those  received  in  baptism  having  been  given  me 
by  my  two  sponsors,  after  themselves.  This  christening, 
like  my  birth,  occurred  in  Quebec.  I  have,  however, 
called  myself  Edward,  or  Ned,  Myers,  ever  since  I  took  to 
the  sea. 

Before  I  was  old  enough  to  receive  impressions  to  be  re 
tained,  the  regiment  removed  to  Halifax.  My  father  accom 
panied  it ;  and,  of  course,  his  two  children,  my  sister  Harriet 
and  myself,  were  taken  to  Nova  Scotia.  Of  the  period  of 
my  life  that  was  passed  in  Halifax,  I  retain  tolerably  distinct 
recollections  ;  more  especially  of  the  later  years.  The  prince 
and  my  father  both  remained  with  the  regiment  for  a  con 
siderable  time;  though  all  quitted  Halifax  tseveral  years 
before  I  left  it  myself.  I  remember  Prince  Ed*  ard  perfectly 
well.  He  sometimes  resided  at  a  house  called  ihe  Lodge,  a 
little  out  of  town ;  and  I  was  often  taken  out  tt  see  him.  Ho 


A    LIFE     BEFORE    TUB    MAST.  11 

also  had  a  residence  in  town.  He  took  a  good  deal  of  notice 
of  me  ;  raising  me  in  his  arms,  and  kissing  me.  When  he 
passed  our  house,  I  would  run  to  him ;  and  he  would  lead 
me  through  the  streets  himself.  On  more  than  one  occasion, 
he  led  me  off,  and  sent  for  the  regimental  tailor ;  direct 
ing  suits  of  clothes  to  be  made  for  me,  after  his  own  taste. 
He  was  a  large  man ;  of  commanding  presence,  and  fre 
quently  wore  a  star  on  the  breast  of  his  coat.  He  was  not 
then  called  the  Duke  of  Kent,  but  Prince  Edward,  or  The 
Prince.  A  lady  lived  with  him  at  the  Lodge ;  but  who  she 
was,  I  do  not  know. 

At  this  time,  my  mother  must  have  been  dead ;  for  of  her 
I  retain  no  recollection  whatever.  I  think,  my  father  left 
Halifax  some  time  before  the  prince.  Major  Walker,  too, 
went  to  England ;  leaving  Mrs.  Walker  in  Nova  Scotia,  for 
some  time.  Whether  my  father  went  away  with  a  part  of 
the  regiment  to  which  he  belonged,  or  not,  I  cannot  say 
but  I  well  remember  a  conversation  between  the  prince,  the 
major  and  Mrs.  Walker,  in  which  they  spoke  of  the  loss  of 
a  transport,  and  of  Meyers's  saving  several  men.  This  must 
have  been  at  the  time  when  my  father  quitted  Nova  Scotia ; 
to  which  province,  I  think,  he  never  could  have  returned. 
Neither  my  sister,  nor  myself,  ever  saw  him  afterwards. 
We  have  understood  that  he  was  killed  in  battle ;  though 
when,  or  where,  we  do  not  know.  My  old  shipmate,  the 
editor,  however,  thinks  it  must  have  been  in  Canada ;  as 
letters  were  received  from  a  friend  in  Quebec,  after  I  had 
quitted  Nova  Scotia,  inquiring  after  us  children,  and  stating 
that  the  effects  of  my  father  were  in  that  town,  and  ought  to 
belong  to  us.  This  letter  gave  my  sister  the  first  account 
of  his  death ;  though  it  was  not  addressed  to  her,  but  to 
those  in  whose  care  she  had  been  left.  This  property  was 
never  recovered ;  and  my  shipmate,  who  writes  this  account, 
thinks  there  may  have  been  legal  difficulties  in  the  way. 

Previously  to  quitting  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia,  my 
father  placed  Harriet  and  myself  in  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Marchinton,  to  live.  This  gentleman  was  a  clergyman, 
who  had  no  regular  parish,  but  who  preached  in  a  chapel 
of  his  own.  He  sent  us  both  to  school,  and  otherwise  took 
charge  of  us.  I  am  not  aware  of  the  precise  time  when  the 


12  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

prince  left  Halifax,  but  it  must  have  been  when  I  was  five 
or  six  years  old — probably  about  the  year  1798  or  1799.* 

From  that  time  I  continued  at  Mr.  Marchinton's,  attending 
school,  and  busied,  as  is  usual  with  boys  of  that  age,  until 
the  year  1805.  I  fear  I  was  naturally  disposed  to  idleness 
and  self-indulgence,  for  I  became  restive  and  impatient  under 
the  restraints  of  the  schoolmaster,  and  of  the  gentleman  in 
whose  family  I  had  been  left.  I  do  not  know  that  I  had  any 
just  grounds  of  complaint  against  Mr.  Marchinton ;  but  his 
rigorous  discipline  disgusted  me;  principally,  I  am  now  in 
clined  to  believe,  because  it  was  not  agreeable  to  me  to  be  kept 
under  any  rigid  moral  restraint.  I  do  not  think  I  was  very 
vicious ;  and,  I  know,  I  was  far  from  being  of  a  captious 
temperament ;  but  I  loved  to  be  my  own  master ;  and  I  par 
ticularly  disliked  everything  like  religious  government.  Mr. 
Marchinton,  moreover,  kept  me  out  of  the  streets ;  and  it  was 
my  disposition  to  be  an  idler,  and  at  play.  It  is  possible  he 
may  have  been  a  little  too  severe  for  one  of  my  tempera 
ment  ;  though,  I  fear,  nature  gave  me  a  roving  and  change 
ful  mind. 

At  that  time  the  English  cruisers  sent  in  many  American 
vessels  as  prizes.  Our  house  was  near  the  water ;  and  I 
was  greatly  in  the  habit  of  strolling  along  the  wharves, 
whenever  an  opportunity  occurred  ;  Mr.  Marchinton  owning 
a  good  deal  of  property  in  that  part  of  the  town.  The  Cam 
brian  frigate  had  a  midshipman,  a  little  older  than  myself, 
who  had  been  a  schoolmate  of  mine.  This  lad,  whose  name 
was  Bowen,  was  sent  in  as  the  nominal  prize-master  of  a 
brig  loaded  with  coffee  ;  and  I  no  sooner  learned  the  fact, 
than  I  began  to  pay  him  visits.  Young  Bowen  encouraged 
me  greatly,  in  a  wish  that  now  arose  within  me,  to  become 
a  sailor.  I  listened  eagerly  to  the  history  of  his  adventures, 
and  felt  the  usual  boyish  emulation.  Mr.  Marchinton  seemed 
averse  to  my  following  the  profession,  and  these  visits  be 
came  frequent  and  stealthy ;  my  wishes,  most  probably, 

*  Edward,  Duke  of  Kent,  was  born  November  2,  1767,  and  made 
a  peer  April  23,  1799  ;  when  he  was  a  little  turned  of  one-and-thirty. 
It  is  probable  that  this  creation  took  place  on  his  return  to  England  ; 
after  passing  some  six  or  eight  years  in  America  and  the  West  Indies 
He  served  in  the  West  Indies  with  great  personal  distinction,  during 
his  stay  in  this  hemisphere.  —  EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  13 

increasing,  in  proportion  as  they  seemed  difficult  of  accom 
plishment. 

I  soon  began  ID  climb  the  rigging  of  the  brig,  ascending 
to  the  mast-heads.  One  day  Mr.  Marchinton  saw  me  quite 
at  the  main-truck ;  and,  calling  me  down,  I  got  a  severe 
flogging  for  my  dexterity  and  enterprise.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  punishment  produces  a  result  exactly  opposite 
to  that  which  was  intended  ;  and  so  it  turned  out  in  the  pre 
sent  instance.  My  desire  to  be  a  sailor  increased  in  conse 
quence  of  this  very  flogging ;  and  I  now  began  seriously  to 
think  of  running  away,  in  order  to  get  to  sea,  as  well  as  to 
escape  a  confinement  on  shore,  that,  to  me,  seemed  unreason 
able.  Another  prize,  called  the  Amsterdam  Packet,  a  Phila 
delphia  ship,  had  been  sent  in  by,  I  believe,  the  Cleopatra, 
Sir  Robert  Laurie.  On  board  this  ship  were  two  American 
lads,  apprentices.  With  these  boys  I  soon  formed  an  inti 
macy  ;  and  their  stones  of  the  sea,  and  their  accounts  of  the 
States,  coupled  with  the  restraints  I  fancied  I  endured,  gave 
rise  to  a  strong  desire  to  see  their  country,  as  well  as  to 
become  a  sailor.  They  had  little  to  do,  and  enjoyed  great 
liberty,  going  and  coming  much  as  they  pleased.  This 
idleness  seemed,  to  me,  to  form  the  summit  of  human  happi 
ness.  I  did  not  often  dare  to  play  truant ;  and  the  school 
became  odious  to  me.  According  to  my  recollections,  this 
desire  for  a  change  must  have  existed  near,  or  quite  a 
twelvemonth ;  being  constantly  fed  by  the  arrival  and  de 
parture  of  vessels  directly  before  my  eyes,  ere  I  set  about 
the  concocting  of  a  serious  plan  to  escape. 

My  project  was  put  in  execution  in  the  summer  of  1805, 
when  I  could  not  have  been  more  than  eleven  years  old,  if, 
indeed,  quite  as  old.  I  was  in  the  market  one  day,  and 
overheard  some  American  seamen,  who  had  been  brought 
in,  conversing  of  a  schooner  that  was  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Halifax,  for  New  York.  This  vessel  belonged  to  North 
Carolina,  and  had  been  captured  by  the  Driver,  some  time 
before,  but  had  been  liberated  by  a  decision  of  the  Admi 
ralty  Court.  The  men  I  overheard  talking  about  her,  in- 
tended  taking  their  passages  back  to  their  own  country  in 
the  craft.  This  seemed  to  me  a  good  opportunity  to  effect 
my  purpose,  and  I  went  from  the  market,  itself,  down  to  the 
ichooner.  The  mate  was  on  board  alone,  and  I  took  con 
2 


14  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

rage,  and  asked  him  if  he  did  not  want  to  ship  a  boy.  My 
dress  and  appearance  were  both  against  me,  as  I  had  never 
done  any  work,  and  was  in  the  ordinary  attire  of  a  better 
class  lad  on  shore.  The  mate  began  to  laugh  at  me,  and  to 
joke  me  on  my  desire  to  go  to  sea,  questioning  me  about 
my  knowledge.  I  was  willing  to  do  anything ;  but,  per 
ceiving  that  I  made  little  impression,  I  resorted  to  bribery. 
Prince  Edward  had  made  me  a  present,  before  he  left  Hali 
fax,  of  a  beautiful  little  fowling-piece,  which  was  in  my  own 
possession ;  and  I  mentioned  to  the  mate  that  I  was  the  owner 
of  such  an  article,  and  would  give  it  to  him  if  he  would  con 
sent  to  secrete  me  in  the  schooner,  and  carry  me  to  New 
York.  This  bait  took,  and  I  was  told  to  bring  the  fowling, 
piece  on  board,  and  let  the  mate  see  it.  That  night  I  car 
ried  the  bribe,  as  agreed  on,  to  this  man,  who  was  perfectly 
satisfied  with  its  appearance,  and  we  struck  a  bargain  on 
the  spot.  I  then  returned  to  the  house,  and  collected  a  few 
of  my  clothes.  I  knew  that  my  sister,  Harriet,  was  making, 
some  shirts  for  me,  and  I  stole  into  her  room,  and  brought 
away  two  of  them,  which  were  all  I  could  find.  My  ward 
robe  was  not  large  when  I  left  the  house,  and  I  had  taken 
the  precaution  of  carrying  the  articles  out  one  at  a  time,  and 
of  secreting  them  in  an  empty  cask  in  the  yard.  When  I 
thought  I  had  got  clothes  enough,  I  made  them  into  a  bundle,, 
and  carried  them  down  to  the  schooner.  The  mate  then 
cleared  out  a  locker  in  the  cabin,  in  which  there  were  some 
potatoes,  and  told  me  I  must  make  up  my  mind  to  pass  a 
few  hours  in  that  narrow  berth.  Too  thoughtless  to  raise 
any  objections,  I  cheerfully  consented,  and  took  my  leave 
of  him  with  the  understanding  that  I  was  to  be  on  board, 
again,  early  in  the  morning. 

Before  going  to  bed,  I  desired  a  black  servant  of  Mr. 
Marchinton's  to  call  me  about  day-break,  as  I  desired  to  go 
out  and  pick  berries.  This  was  done,  and  I  was  up  and 
dressed  before  any  other  member  of  the  family  was  stirring. 
I  lost  no  time,  but  quitted  the  house,  and  walked  deliberately 
down  to  the  schooner.  No  one  was  up  on  board  of  her,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  give  the  mate  a  call,  myself.  This  man 
now  seemed  disposed  to  draw  back  from  his  bargain,  and  I 
had  to  use  a  good  deal  of  persuasion  before  I  could  prevail 
pn  him  to  be  as  good  as  his  word.  He  did  not  like  to  part 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  15 

with  the  fowling-piece,  but  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  fairly 
purchased,  could  he  persuade  me  to  run  away.  At  length 
he  yielded,  and  I  got  into  the  locker,  where  I  was  covered 
with  potatoes. 

I  was  a  good  while  in  this  uncomfortable  situation,  before 
there  were  any  signs  of  the  vessel's  quitting  the  wharf.  I 
began  to  grow  heartily  tired  of  the  confinement,  and  the 
love  of  change  revived  within  me  in  a  new  form.  The  po 
tatoes  were  heavy  for  me  to  bear,  and  the  confined  air  ren 
dered  my  prison  almost  insupportable.  I  was  on  the  point  of 
coming  out  of  prison,  when  the  noise  on  deck  gave  me  the 
comfortable  assurance  that  the  people  had  come  on  board, 
and  that  the  schooner  was  about  to  sail.  I  could  hear  men 
conversing,  and,  after  a  period  of  time  that  seemed  an  age, 
I  felt  satisfied  the  schooner  was  fairly  under  way.  I  heard 
a  hail  from  one  of  the  forts  as  we  passed  down  the  harbour, 
and,  not  long  after,  the  Driver,  the  very  sloop  of  war  that 
had  sent  the  vessel  in,  met  her,  and  quite  naturally  hailed 
her  old  prize,  also.  All  this  I  heard  in  my  prison,  and  it 
served  to  reconcile  me  to  the  confinement.  As  everything 
was  right,  the  ship  did  not  detain  us,  and  we  were  permitted 
to  proceed. 

It  was  noon  before  I  was  released.  Going  on  deck,  1 
found  that  the  schooner  was  at  sea.  Nothing  of  Halifax  was 
visible  but  a  tower  or  two,  that  were  very  familiar  objects 
to  me.  I  confess  I  now  began  to  regret  the  step  I  had  taken, 
and,  could  I  have  been  landed,  it  is  probable  my  roving  dis 
position  would  have  received  a  salutary  check.  It  was  too 
late,  however,  and  I  was  compelled  to  continue  in  the  thorny 
and  difficult  path  on  which  I  had  so  thoughtlessly  entered. 
I  often  look  back  to  this  moment,  and  try  to  imagine  what 
might  have  been  my  fortunes,  had  I  never  taken  this  unlucky 
step.  What  the  prince  might  have  done  for  me,  it  is  impos 
sible  to  say ;  though  I  think  it  probable  that,  after  the  death 
of  my  father,  I  should  have  been  forgotten,  as  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  with  my  sister,  who  gradually  fell  from  being 
considered  and  treated  as  one  of  the  family  in  which  she 
lived,  into  a  sort  of  upper  servant. 

I  have  learned,  latterly,  that  Mr.  Marchinton  had  a  great 
search  made  for  me.  It  was  his  impression  I  was  drowned, 
fcnd  several  places  were  dragged  for  my  body.  This  opinion 


10  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

lasted  until  news  of  my  being  in  New  York  reached  the 
family. 

My  appearance  on  deck  gave  rise  to  a  great  many  jokes 
between  the  captain  of  the  schooner,  and  his  mate.  I  was 
a  good  deal  laughed  at,  but  not  badly  treated,  on  the  whole. 
My  office  was  to  be  that  of  cook — by  no  means  a  very  diffi 
cult  task  in  that  craft,  the  camboose  consisting  of  two  pots 
set  in  bricks,  and  the  dishes  being  very  simple.  In  the 
cabin,  sassafras  was  used  for  tea,  and  boiled  pork  and  beef 
composed  the  dinner.  The  first  day,  I  Was  excused  from 
entering  on  the  duties  of  my  office,  on  account  of  sea-sick 
ness  ;  but,  the  next  morning,  I  set  about  the  work  in  good 
earnest.  We  had  a  long  passage,  and  my  situation  was  not 
very  pleasant.  The  schooner  was  wet,  and  the  seas  she 
shipped  would  put  out  my  fire.  There  was  a  deck  load  of 
shingles,  and  I  soon  discovered  that  these  made  excellent 
kindling  wood ;  but  it  was  against  the  rules  of  the  craft  to 
burn  cargo,  and  my  friend  the  mate  had  bestowed  a  few 
kicks  on  me  before  I  learned  to  make  the  distinction.  In 
other  respects,  I  did  tolerably  well ;  and,  at  the  end  of  about 
ten  days,  we  entered  Sandy  Hook. 

Such  was  my  first  passage  at  sea,  or,  at  least,  the  first  I 
can  remember,  though  I  understand  we  were  taken  from 
Quebec  to  Halifax  by  water.  I  was  not  cured  of  the  wish 
to  roam  by  this  experiment,  though,  at  that  age,  impressions 
are  easily  received,  and  as  readily  lost.  Some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  my  recklessness,  and  ignorance  of  such  matters, 
at  this  time,  from  the  circumstance  that  I  do  not  remember 
ever  to  have  known  the  name  of  the  vessel  in  which  I  left 
Nova  Scotia.  Change  and  adventure  were  my  motives,  and 
it  never  occurred  to  me  to  inquire  into  a  fact  that  was  so 
immaterial  to  one  of  my  temperament.  To  this  hour,  I  am 
ignorant  on  the  subject. 

The  schooner  came  up,  and  hauled  in  abreast  of  Fly 
Market.  She  did  not  come  close  to  the  wharf,  but  made 
fast,  temporarily,  at  its  end,  outside  of  two  or  three  other 
vessels.  This  took  place  not  long  after  breakfast.  I  set 
about  the  preparations  for  dinner,  which  was  ready,  as  usual, 
at  twelve  o'clock.  While  the  crew  were  eating  this  meal, 
I  had  nothing  to  do,  and,  seeing  a  number  of  boys  on  the 
wharf,  I  went  ashore,  landing  for  the  first  time  in  this,  my 


A.     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST*  17 

adopted  country.  I  was  without  hat,  coat,  or  shoes ;  my 
feet  having  become  sore  from  marching  about  among  the 
shingles.  The  boys  were  licking  molasses  from  some  hogs 
heads,  and  I  joined  in  the  occupation  with  great  industry.  I 
might  have  been  occupied  in  this  manner,  and  in  talking 
with  the  boys,  an  hour  or  more,  when  I  bethought  me  of  my 
duty  on  board.  On  looking  for  the  schooner,  she  was  gone.' 
Her  people,  no  doubt,  thought  I  was  below,  and  did  not 
miss  me,  and  she  had  been  carried  to  some  other  berth ; 
where,  I  did  not  know.  I  could  not  find  her,  nor  did  I  ever 
see  her  again. 

Such,  then,  was  my  entrance  on  a  new  scene.  Had  I 
known  enough  to  follow  the  wharves,  doubtless  I  should 
have  found  the  vessel ;  but,  after  a  short  search,  I  returned 
to  the  boys  and  the  molasses. 

That  I  was  concerned  at  finding  myself  in  a  strange 
place,  without  a  farthing  in  my  pockets — without  hat,  shoes 
or  coat,  is  certain  —  but  it  is  wonderful  how  little  apprehen 
sion  I  felt.  I  knew  nothing,  and  feared  nothing.  While 
licking  the  molasses,  I  told  the  boys  my  situation ;  and  I  met 
with  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  among  them.  The  word 
passed  from  one  to  the  other,  that  a  "  poor  English  boy  had 
lost  his  vessel,  and  did  not  know  where  to  go  to  pass  the 
night."  One  promised  me  a  supper ;  and,  as  for  lodgings, 
the  general  opinion  seemed  to  be,  that  I  might  find  a  berth 
under  one  of  the  butchers'  stalls,  in  the  adjacent  market.  I 
had  different  projects  for  myself,  however. 

There  was  a  family  of  the  name  of  Clark,  then  residing 
in  New  York,  that  I  had  known  in  Halifax.  I  remembered 
to  have  heard  my  sister,  Harriet,  speaking  of  them,  not  long 
before  I  quitted  home,  and  that  she  said  they  lived  in,  or 
near,  Fly  Market.  I  knew  we  were  at  Fly  Market ;  and 
the  name  recalled  these  people.  I  inquired,  accordingly,  if 
any  one  knew  such  a  family ;  but  met  with  no  success  in 
discovering  them.  They  were  strangers ;  and  no  one  knew 
them.  It  was  now  near  sunset ;  and  I  determined  to  look 
for  these  people  myself.  On  this  errand,  then,  I  set  off; 
walking  up  the  market  until  I  reached  Maiden  Lane.  While 
strolling  along  the  street,  I  heard  a  female  voice  suddenly 
exclaim :  "  Lord !  here  is  Edward  Myers,  without  anything 
on  him !"  At  the  next  instant,  Susan  Clark,  one  of  the 
2* 


18  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

daughters,  came  running  into  the  street ;  and  presently  I  was 
in  the  house,  surrounded  by  the  whole  family. 

Of  course,  I  was  closely  questioned  ;  and  I  told  the  whole 
truth.  The  Clarks  were  extremely  kind  to  me,  offering  me 
clothes,  and  desiring  to  keep  me  with  them ;  but  I  did  not 
like  the  family,  owing  to  old  quarrels  with  the  boys,  and  o 
certain  sternness  in  the  father,  who  had  made  complaints  of 
my  stealing  his  fruit,  while  in  Halifax.  I  was  innocent ;  and 
the  whole  proceeding  had  made  me  regard  Mr.  Clark  as  a 
sort  of  enemy.  My  principal  motive,  in  inquiring  for  the 
family,  was  to  learn  where  a  certain  Dr.  Heizer*  lived. 
This  gentleman  was  a  German,  who  had  formerly  been  in 
the  army ;  and  I  knew  he  was  then  in  New  York.  In  him 
I  had  more  confidence ;  and  I  determined  to  throw  myself  on 
his  kindness. 

After  declining  a  great  many  offers,  I  got  the  address  of 
Dr.  Heizer,  and  proceeded  in  quest  of  his  residence,  just  as 
I  was.  It  was  moonlight,  and  I  went  through  the,  streets 
with  boyish  confidence.  My  route  lay  up  Broadway,  and 
my  destination  was  one  of  its  corners  and  Hester  Street. 
In  1805,  this  was  nearly  out  of  town,  being  near  Canal 
street.  I  had  been  told  to  look  for  a  bridge,  which  then 
stood  in  Broadway,  and  which  answered  for  a  landmark,  in 
my  new  navigation.  The  bridge  I  found  easily ;  and, 
making  inquiries  at  a  house,  I  was  told  the  family  I  sought 
lived  next  door. 

The  Heizers  were  greatly  surprised  at  my  appearance. 
I  was  questioned,  of  course ;  and  told  them  the  naked  truth. 
I  knew  concealment  would  be  useless ;  was  naturally  frank, 
notwithstanding  what  I  had  just  done ;  and  I  began  to  feel 
the  want  of  friends.  I  was  fed  ;  and  that  same  evening,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Heizer  led  me  down  Broadway,  and  equipped  me 
in  a  neat  suit  of  clothes.  Within  a  week,  I  was  sent  regu 
larly  to  school. 

I  never  knew  what  Dr.  Heizer  did,  in  relation  to  my 
arrival.  I  cannot  but  think  that  he  communicated  the  cir 
cumstances  to  Mr.  Marchinton,  who  was  well  known  to 


*  This  is  Ned's  pronunciation  ;  though  it  is  probable  the  name  ia 
not  spelt  correctly.  The  names  of  Ned  are  taken  a  good  deal  ai  ran 
dom  ;  and,  doubtless,  are  often  misspelled.  —  EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  19 

Him ;  though,  Harriet  tells  me,  the  first  intelligence  they  got 
of  me  was  of  a  much  later  date,  and  came  from  another 
source.  Let  this  be  as  it  might,  I  was  kindly  treated  ;  living, 
in  all  respects,  as  if  I  were  one  of  the  family.  There  was  no 
son ;  and  they  all  seemed  to  consider  me  as  one. 

I  remained  in  this  family  the  autumn  of  1805,  and  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1806.  I  soon  tired  of  school,  and 
began  to  play  truant ;  generally  wandering  along  the 
wharves,  gazing  at  the  ships.  Dr.  Heizer  soon  learned  this ; 
and,  watching  me,  discovered  the  propensity  I  still  retained 
for  the  sea.  He  and  Mrs.  Heizer  now  took  me  aside,  and 
endeavoured  to  persuade  me  to  return  to  Halifax ;  but  I  had 
become  more  and  more  averse  to  taking  this  backward  step. 
To  own  the  truth,  I  had  fearful  misgivings  on  the  subject  of 
floggings  ;  and  I  dreaded  a  long  course  of  severity  and  disci 
pline.  It  is  certain,  that,  while  rigid  rules  of  conduct  are 
very  necessary  to  some  dispositions,  there  are  others  with 
which  they  do  not  succeed.  Mine  was  of  the  latter  class ; 
for,  I  think,  I  am  more  easily  led,  than  driven.  At  all 
events,  I  had  a  horror  of  going  back  ;  and  refused  to  listen 
to  the  proposal.  After  a  good  deal  of  conversation,  and 
many  efforts  at  persuasion,  Dr.  Heizer  consented  to  let  me 
go  to  sea,  from  New  York ;  or  affected  to  consent ;  I  never 
knew  which. 

The  Leander,  Miranda's  flag-ship,  in  his  abortive  attempt 
to  create  a  revolution  in  Spanish-America,  was  then  lying 
ji  the  Hudson ;  and  Dr.  Heizer,  who  was  acquainted  with 
some  one  connected  with  her,  placed  me  in  this  ship,  with 
the  understanding  I  was  to  go  in  her  to  Holland.  I  passed 
the  day  on  board ;  going  up  to  my  new  employer's  house, 
for  my  meals,  and  to  sleep.  This  course  of  life  may  have 
lasted  a  fortnight ;  when  I  became  heartily  tired  of  it.  I 
found  I  had  a  mistress,  now,  as  well  as  a  master.  The 
former  set  me  to  cleaning  knives,  boots,  candlesticks,  and 
other  similar  employments ;  converting  me  into  a  sort  of 
scullion.  My  pride  revolted  at  this.  I  have  since  thought 
it  possible,  all  this  was  done  to  create  disgust,  and  to  induce 
me  to  return  to  Mr.  Marchinton ;  but  it  had  a  very  contrary 
effect. 

My  desire  was  to  be  a  sailor.  One  Sunday  I  had  been 
on  board  the  ship,  and,  after  assisting  the  mate  to  show  the 


20  NBD     MYERS;     OR, 

bunting  fore  and  aft,  I  went  back  to  the  house.  Here  my 
mistress  met  me  with  a  double  allowance  of  knives  to  clean. 
We  had  a  quarrel  on  the  subject ;  1  protesting  against  all 
such  work.  But  to  clean  the  knives  I  was  compelled.  About 
half  were  thrown  over  the  fence,  into  the  adjoining  yard ; 
and,  cleaning  what  remained,  I  took  my  hat,  went  to  the 
doctor's,  and  saw  no  more  of  my  mistress,  or  of  the  Le- 
ander. 


CHAPTER   II. 

AN  explanation  took  place.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Heizer  remon 
strated  about  my  conduct,  and  endeavoured,  once  more,  to 
persuade  me  to  return  to  Mr.  March  Eton's.  A  great  deal 
was  told  me  of  the  kind  intentions  of  that  gentleman,  and 
concerning  what  I  might  expect  from  the  protection  and  pa 
tronage  of  my  god-father,  the  Duke  of  Kent.  I  cannot  help 
thinking,  now,  that  much  of  the  favour  which  was  extended 
towards  me  at  that  early  period  of  life,  was  owing  to  the 
circumstance  that  the  prince  had  consented  to  stand  for  me 
at  my  baptism.  He  was  a  great  disciplinarian — so  great, 
indeed,  I  remember  to  have  heard,  as  to  cause  more  than 
one  mutiny — and  my  father  being  a  German,  and  coming 
from  a  people  that  carried  military  subordination  to  extremes, 
it  is  highly  probable  I  was  indebted,  for  this  compliment,  to 
a  similarity  of  tastes  between  the  two.  I  cared  little  for  all 
this,  however,  in  1805,  and  thought  far  less  of  being  pro 
tected  by  a  prince  of  the  blood  royal,  than  of  going  to  sea, 
and  especially  of  escaping  from  the  moral  discipline  of  Mr. 
Marchinton.  Finding  his  arguments  vain,  Dr.  Heizer  sent 
me  to  school  again,  where  I  continued  a  few  months  longer. 

All  this  time,  my  taste  for  ships  rather  increased  than 
diminished.  At  every  opportunity  I  was  on  the  wharves, 
studying  the  different  craft,  and  endeavouring  to  understand 
their  rig.  One  day  I  saw  a  British  ensign,  and,  while  look- 
ing  at  it,  with  a  feeling  of  strong  disgust,  I  heard  myself 
called  by  name.  A  glance  told  me  that  I  was  seen  by  a 
Halifax  man,  and  I  ran  away,  under  the  apprehension  tha 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    T  H  Jtf    MAST.  21 

he  might,  by  some  means,  seize  me  and  carry  me  back.  My 
feelings  on  this  head  were  all  alive,  and  that  very  day  one  of 
the  young  ladies  said,  in  a  melancholy  way,  "  Edouard" 
"  Halifax."  These  girls  spoke  scarcely  any  English,  having 
been  born  in  Martinique  ;  and  they  talked  much  together  in 
French,  looking  at  me  occasionally,  as  if  I  were  the  subject 
of  their  discourse.  It  is  probable  conscience  was  at  the  bot 
tom  of  this  conceit  of  mine ;  but  the  latter  now  became  so 
strong,  as  to  induce  me  to  determine  to  look  out  for  a  vessel 
for  myself,  and  be  off  again.  With  this  view,  I  quitted  a 
negro  who  had  been  sent  with  me  to  market,  under  the  pre 
tence  of  going  to  school,  but  went  along  the  wharves  until  I 
found  a  ship  that  took  my  fancy.  She  was  called  the  Ster 
ling,  and  there  was  a  singularly  good-looking  mate  on  her 
deck,  of  the  name  of  Irish,  who  was  a  native  of  Nantucket. 
The  ship  was  commanded  by  Capt.  John  Johnston,  of  Wis- 
casset,  in  Maine,  and  belonged  to  his  father  and  himself. 

I  went  on  board  the  Sterling,  and,  after  looking  about  for 
some  time,  I  ventured  to  offer  myself  to  Mr.  Irish,  as  a  boy 
who  wished  to  ship.  I  was  questioned,  of  course,  but  evaded 
any  very  close  answers.  After  some  conversation,  Capt. 
Johnston  came  on  board,  and  Mr.  Irish  told  him  what  I 
wanted.  My  examination  now  became  much  closer,  and  I 
found  myself  driven  to  sheer  fabrication  in  order  to  effect  my 
purposes.  During  my  intercourse  with  different  sea-going 
lads  of  Halifax,  I  had  learned  the  particulars  of  the  capture 
of  the  Cleopatra  32,  by  the  French  frigate  Ville  de  Milan  38, 
and  her  recapture  by  the  Leander  50,  which  ship  captured 
the  Ville  de  Milan  at  the  same  time.  I  said  my  father  had 
been  a  serjeant  of  marines,  and  was  killed  in  the  action— 
that  I  had  run  away  when  the  ships  got  in,  and  that  I  wished 
to  be  bound  to  some  American  ship-master,  in  order  to  be 
come  a  regularly-trained  seaman.  This  story  so  far  imposed 
on  Capt.  Johnston  as  to  induce  him  to  listen  to  my  proposals, 
and  in  part  to  accept  them.  We  parted  with  an  understand 
ing  that  I  was  to  get  my  clothes,  and  come  on  board  the 
vessel. 

It  was  twelve  at  noon  when  I  got  back  to  Dr.  Heizer's. 
My  first  business  was  to  get  my  clothes  into  the  yard,  a  few 
at  a  time ;  after  which  I  ate  my  dinner  with  the  family.  As 
soon  as  we  rose  from  table,  I  stole  away  with  my  bundle. 


22  NEDMYE»S;OR, 

leaving  these  kind  people  to  believe  I  had  returned  to  school. 
I  never  saw  one  of  them  afterwards  !  On  my  return  to  New 
York,  several  years  later,  I  learned  they  had  all  gone  to 
Martinique  to  live.  I  should  not  have  quitted  this  excellent 
family  in  so  clandestine  a  manner,  had  I  not  been  haunted 
with  the  notion  that  I  was  about  to  be  sent  back  to  Halifax, 
a  place  I  now  actually  hated. 

Capt.  Johnston  received  me  good-naturedly,  and  that 
night  I  slept  and  supped  at  the  Old  Coffee  House,  Old  Slip— 
his  own  lodgings.  He  seemed  pleased  with  me,  arid  I  was 
delighted  with  him.  The  next  day  he  took  me  to  a  slop 
shop,  and  I  was  rigged  like  a  sailor,  and  was  put  in  the 
cabin,  where  I  was  to  begin  my  service  in  the  regular  way. 
A  boy  named  Daniel  McCoy  was  in  the  ship,  and  had  been 
out  to  Russia  in  her,  as  cabin-boy,  the  last  voyage.  He  wag 
now  to  be  sent  into  the  forecastle,  and  was  ordered  to  instruct 
me  in  my  duty. 

I  was  now  comparatively  happy,  though  anxious  to  be 
bound  to  Capt.  Johnston,  and  still  more  so  to  be  fairly  at  sea. 
The  Sterling  had  a  good,  old-fashioned  cabin,  as  cabins  went 
in  1806 ;  and  I  ran  about  her  state-room,  rummaged  her 
lockers,  and  scampered  up  and  down  her  companion-way, 
with  as  much  satisfaction  as  if  they  had  all  belonged  to  a 
palace.  Dan  McCoy  was  every  day  on  board,  and  we  had 
the  accommodations  of  the  ship  very  much  to  ourselves. 
Two  or  three  days  later,  Capt.  Johnston  took  me  to  the 
proper  place,  and  I  was  put  under  regular  indentures,  to 
serve  until  I  was  twenty-one.  I  now  felt  more  confidence 
in  my  situation,  knowing  that  Dr.  Heizer  had  no  legal 
authDrity  over  me.  The  work  I  did,  in  no  manner  offended 
my  dignity,  for  it  was  on  ship-board,  and  belonged  properly 
to  my  duty  as  a  cabin-boy. 

The  Sterling  soon  began  to  take  in  her  cargo.  She  was 
to  receive  a  freight  of  flour,  for  Cowes  and  a  market.  Not 
only  was  the  hold  filled,  but  the  state-room  and  cabin,  leav 
ing  barely  room  to  climb  over  the  barrels  to  reach  the  berths. 
A  place  was  left,  just  inside  of  the  cabin  door,  for  the  table. 
Passengers  were  not  common  in  that  day,  while  commerce 
was  pushed  to  the  utmost.  Our  sails  were  bending  when 
the  consignee,  followed  by  another  merchant,  came  down 
to  the  ship,  accompanied  by  a  youth,  who,  it  was  iw 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE    HAST.  23 

derstood,  wished  also  to  be  received  in  the  vessel.  This 
youth  wa.5  named  Cooper,  and  was  never  called  by  any  other 
appellation  in  the  ship.  He  was  accepted  by  Capt.  Johnston, 
signed  the  articles,  and  the  next  day  he  joined  us,  in  sailor's 
rig.  He  never  came  to  the  cabin,  but  was  immediately  em 
ployed  forward,  in  such  service  as  he  was  able  to  perform. 
It  was  afterwards  understood  that  he  was  destined  for  the 
navy. 

The  very  day  that  Cooper  joined  us,  was  one  of  deep  dis 
grace  to  me.  The  small  stores  came  on  board  for  the  cabin, 
and  Dan  McCoy  persuaded  me  to  try  the  flavour  of  a  bottle 
of  cherry-bounce.  I  did  not  drink  much,  but  the  little  I 
swallowed  made  me  completely  drunk.  This  was  the  first 
time  I  ever  was  in  that  miserable  and  disgraceful  plight  ; 
would  to  God  I  could  also  say  it  was  the  last !  The  last  it 
was,  however,  for  several  years ;  that  is  some  comfort.  I 
thank  my  Divine  Master  that  I  have  lived  to  see  the  hour 
when  intoxicating  liquors  have  ceased  to  have  any  command 
over  me,  and  when,  indeed,  they  never  pass  my  lips.  Capt. 
Johnston  did  not  flog  me  for  this  act  of  folly,  merely  pulling 
my  ears  a  little,  and  sharply  reprimanding  me ;  both  he  and 
Mr.  Irish  seeming  to  understand  that  my  condition  had  pro 
ceeded  from  the  weakness  of  my  head.  Dan  was  the  prin 
cipal  sufferer,  as,  to  say  the  truth,  he  ought  to  have  been. 
He  was  rope's-ended  for  his  pains. 

Next  day  the  stevedores  took  the  ship  into  the  stream,  and 
the  crew  came  on  board.  The  assembling  of  the  crew  of  a 
merchantman,  in  that  day,  was  a  melancholy  sight.  The 
men  came  off,  bearing  about  them  the  signs  of  the  excesses 
of  which  they  had  been  guilty  while  on  shore ;  some  listless 
and  stupid,  others  still  labouring  under  the  effects  of  liquor, 
and  some  in  that  fearful  condition  which  seamen  themselves 
term  having  the  "  horrors."  Our  crew  was  neither  better 
nor  worse  than  that  of  other  ships.  It  was  also  a  sample 
of  the  mixed  character  of  the  crews  of  American  vessels 
during  the  height  of  her  neutral  trade.  The  captain,  chief- 
mate,  cook,  and  four  of  those  forward,  were  American  born; 
while  the  second-mate  was  a  Portuguese.  The  boys  were, 
one  Scotch,  and  one  a  Canadian ;  and  there  were  a  Spaniard, 
a  Prussian,  a  Dane,  and  an  Englishman,  in  the  forecastle. 
There  was  also  an  Englishman  who  worked  his  passage, 


24  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

having  been  the  cooper  of  a  whaler  that  was  wrecked.  As 
Dan  McCoy  was  sent  forward,  too,  this  put  ten  in  the  fore 
castle,  besides  the  cook,  and  left  five  aft,  including  the  master 
of  another  wrecked  English  vessel,  whom  we  took  out  as  a 
passenger. 

That  afternoon  we  lifted  our  anchor,  and  dropped  down 
abreast  of  Governor's  Island,  where  we  brought  up.  Next 
day  all  hands  were  called  to  get  under  way,  and,  as  soon  as 
the  anchor  was  short,  the  mate  told  Cooper  and  myself  to 
go  up  and  loose  the  foretopsail.  I  went  on  one  yard-arm, 
and  Cooper  went  on  the  other.  In  a  few  minutes  the  second 
mate  came  up,  hallooing  to  us  to  "avast,"  and  laughing. 
Cooper  was  hard  at  work  at  the  "  robins,"  and  would  soon 
have  had  his  half  of  the  sail  down  in  the  top,  had  he  been  let 
alone ;  while  I  was  taking  the  gaskets  from  the  yard,  with 
the  intention  of  bringing  them  carefully  down  on  deck,  where 
it  struck  me  they  would  be  quite  safe.  Luckily  for  us,  the 
men  were  too  busy  heaving,  and  too  stupid,  to  be  very  criti 
cal,  and  we  escaped  much  ridicule.  In  a  week  we  both 
knew  better. 

The  ship  only  got  to  the  quarantine  ground  that  day,  but 
in  the  morning  we  went  to  sea.  Our  passage  was  long  and 
stormy.  The  ship  was  on  a  bow-line  most  of  the  lime,  and 
we  were  something  like  forty  days  from  land  to  land.  No 
thing  extraordinary  occurred,  however,  and  we  finally  made 
the  Bill  of  Portland.  The  weather  came  on  thick,  but  we 
found  a  pilot,  and  ran  into  St.  Helen's  Roads  and  anchoreo, 
The  captain  got  into  his  boat,  and  taking  four  men  pulled 
ashore,  to  look  for  his  orders  at  Cowes. 

That  afternoon  it  cleared  off,  and  we  found  a  pilot  lying 
a  little  outside  of  us.  About  sunset  a  man-of-war's  cutter 
came  alongside,  and  Mr.  Irish  was  ordered  to  muster  the 
crew.  The  English  lieutenant,  who  was  tolerably  bowsed 
up,  took  his  seat  behind  the  cabin  table,  while  the  men  came 
down,  and  stood  in  the  companion-way  passage,  to  be  over 
hauled.  Most  of  the  foreigners  had  gone  in  the  boat,  but 
two  of  the  Americans  that  remained  were  uncommonly  fine- 
looking  men,  and  were  both  prime  seamen.  One,  whose 
name  was  Thomas  Cook,  was  a  six-footer,  and  had  the  air 
of  a  thorough  sea-dog.  He  filled  the  lieutenant's  eye  might 
ily,  and  Cook  was  very  coolly  told  to  gather  his 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  2fi 

as  he  was  wanted.  Cook  pointed  to  his  protection,  but  tho 
lieutenant  answered — "  Oh  !  these  things  are  nothing — any 
body  can  have  one  for  two  dollars,  in  New  York.  You  are 
an  Englishman,  and  the  King  has  need  of  your  services." 
Cook  now  took  out  of  his  pocket  a  certificate,  that  was  sign 
ed  by  Sir  John  Beresford,  stating  that  Thomas  Cook  had 
been  discharged  from  His  Maj.  Ship  Cambrian,  after  a  pretty 
long  service  in  her,  because  he  had  satisfactorily  proved  that 
he  was  a  native-born  American.  The  lieutenant  could  not 
very  well  dishonour  this  document,  and  he  reluctantly  let 
Cook  go,  keeping  his  protection,  however.  He  next  select- 
ed  Isaac  Gaines,  a  native  New  Yorker,  a  man  whose  father 
and  friends  were  known  to  the  captain.  But  Gaines  had  no 
discharge  like  that  of  Cook's,  and  the  poor  fellow  was  obliged 
to  rowse  up  his  chest  and  get  into  the  cutter.  This  he  did 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  to  the  regret  of  all  on  board,  he 
being  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  ship.  We  asked  the  boat's 
crew  to  what  vessel  they  belonged,  and  they  gave  us  the 
name  of  a  sixty- four  in  the  offing,  but  we  observed,  as  they 
pulled  away  from  us,  that  they  took  the  direction  of  another 
ship.  This  was  the  last  I  ever  saw,  or  heard,  of  Isaac 
Gaines.  Cook  went  on  with  us,  and  one  day,  while  in  Lon 
don,  he  went  with  Cooper  to  Somerset  House  to  get  an  or 
der  for  some  prize-money,  to  which  he  was  entitled  for  hia 
service  in  the  Cambrian,  as  was  shown  by  his  discharge. 
The  clerk  asked  him  to  leave  the  certificate,  and  call  a  day 
or  two  later,  when  he  would  have  searched  out  the  amount. 
This  was  done,  and  Cook,  being  now  without  certificate  or 
protection,  was  pressed  on  his  way  back  to  the  ship.  Wo 
never  heard  of  him,  either.  Such  was  often  the  fate  of 
sailors,  in  that  day,  who  were  with  you  one  day,  and  lost 
for  ever  the  next. 

Captain  Johnston  did  not  get  back  to  the  ship  for  four 
and-twenty  hours.  He  brought  orders  for  us  to  go  up  to 
London  ;  and,  the  wind  being  fair,  and  almost  a  gale,  we  got 
under  way,  and  were  off  as  soon  as  possible.  The  nex 
morning  we  were  in  the  straits  of  Dover ;  the  wind  light, 
but  fair.  This  was  at  a  moment  when  all  England  was  in 
arms,  in  anticipation  of  an  invasion  from  France.  Forty 
odd  sail  of  vessels  of  war  were  counted  from  our  ship,  as  the 
3 


20  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

day  dawned,  that  had  been  cruising  in  the  narrow  waters, 
during  the  night,  to  prevent  a  surprise. 

We  worked  our  way  up  to  London,  with  the  tides,  and 
were  carried  into  London  dock  ;  where  we  discharged.  This 
was  my  first  visit  to  the  modern  Babylon,  of  course  ;  but  I 
had  little  opportunity  of  seeing  much.  I  had  one  or  two 
cruises,  of  a  Sunday,  in  tow  of  Cooper,  who  soon  became  a 
branch  pilot,  in  those  waters,  about  the  parks  and  west  end  • 
but  I  was  too  young  to  learn  much,  or  to  observe  much. 
Most  of  us  went  to  see  the  monument,  St.  Paul's,  and  the 
lions ;  and  Cooper  put  himself  in  charge  of  a  beef-eater,  and 
took  a  look  at  the  arsenals,  jewels  and  armoury.  He  had 
a  rum  time  of  it,  in  his  sailor  rig,  but  hoisted  in  a  wonderful 
deal  of  gibberish,  according  to  his  own  account  of  his  cruise. 

Captain  Johnston  now  got  a  freight  for  the  ship,  and  we 
hauled  into  the  stream,  abreast  of  the  dock-gates,  and  took 
in  shingle  ballast.  The  Prussian,  Dane,  second  mate,  and 
the  English  cooper,  all  left  us,  in  London.  We  got  a  Phila- 
tlelphian,  a  chap  from  Maine,  who  had  just  been  discharged 
from  an  English  man-of-war,  and  an  Irish  lad,  in  their 
places.  In  January  we  sailed,  making  the  best  of  our  way 
for  the  straits  of  Gibraltar.  The  passage  was  stormy — the 
Bay  of  Biscay,  in  particular,  giving  us  a  touch  of  its 
qualities.  It  was  marked  by  only  two  incidents,  however, 
out  of  the  usual  way.  While  running  down  the  coast  of 
Portugal,  with  the  land  in  sight,  we  made  an  armed  felucca 
astern,  and  to  windward.  This  vessel  gave  chase  ;  and, 
the  captain  disliking  her  appearance,  we  carried  hard,  in 
order  to  avoid  her.  The  weather  was  thick,  and  it  blew 
fresh,  occasionally,  in  squalls.  Whenever  it  lulled,  the 
felucca  gained  on  us,  we  having,  a  very  little,  the  advantage 
in  the  puffs.  At  length  the  felucca  began  to  fire ;  and,  find 
ing  that  his  shot  were  coming  pretty  near,  Captain  Johnston, 
knowing  that  he  was  in  ballast,  thought  it  wisest  to  heave-to. 
Ten  minutes  after  our  maintopsail  was  aback,  the  felucca 
ranged  up  close  under  our  lee ;  hailed,  and  ordered  us  to 
send  a  boat,  with  our  papers,  on  board  her.  A  more  ras 
cally-looking  craft  never  gave  such  an  order  to  an  unarmed 
merchantman.  As  our  ship  rose  on  a  sea,  and  he  fell  into 
the  trough,  we  could  look  directly  down  upon  his  decks,  and 
thus  form  some  notion  of  what  we  were  to  expect,  when  he 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  27 

got  possession  of  us.  His  people  were  in  red  caps  and  shirts, 
and  appeared  to  be  composed  of  the  rakings  of  such  places 
as  Gibraltar,  Cadiz  and  Lisbon.  He  had  ten  long  guns ; 
and  pikes,  pistols  and  muskets,  were  plenty  with  him.  On 
the  end  of  each  latine-yard  was  a  chap  on  the  look-out,  who 
occasionally  turned  his  eyes  towards  us,  as  if  to  anticipate 
the  gleanings.  That  we  should  be  plundered,  every  one 
expected ;  and  it  was  quite  likely  we  might  be  ill-treated. 
As  soon  as  we  hove-to,  Captain  Johnston  gave  me  the  best 
spy-glass,  with  orders  to  hand  it  to  Cooper,  to  hide.  The 
latter  buried  it  in  the  shingle  ballast.  We,  in  the  cabin, 
concealed  a  bag  of  guineas  so  effectually,  that,  after  all  was 
over,  we  could  not  find  it  ourselves. 

The  jolly-boat  had  been  stowed  in  the  launch,  on  account 
of  the  rough  weather  we  had  expected  to  meet,  and  tackles 
had  to  be  got  aloft  before  we  could  hoist  it  out.  This  con 
sumed  some  time,  during  which  there  was  a  lull.  The  fe^ 
lucca,  seeing  us  busy  at  this  work,  waited  patiently  until  we 
had  got  the  boat  over  the  side,  and  into  the  water.  Cooper, 
Dan  McCoy,  Big  Dan,  and  Spanish  Joe,  then  got  into  her; 
and  the  captain  had  actually  passed  his  writing-desk  into  the 
boat,  and  had  his  leg  on  the  rail,  to  go  over  the  side  himself, 
when  a  squall  struck  the  ship.  The  men  were  called  out 
of  the  boat  to  clew  down  the  topsails,  and  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  passed  in  taking  care  of  the  vessel.  By  this  time  the 
squall  had  passed,  and  it  lightened  up  a  little.  There  lay 
the  felucca,  waiting  for  the  boat ;  and  the  men  were  reluc 
tantly  going  into  the  latter  again,  when  the  commander  of 
the  felucca  waved  his  hand  to  us,  his  craft  fell  off  and  filled, 
wing-and-wing,  skimming  away  towards  the  coast,  like  a 
duck.  We  stood  gaping  and  staring  at  her,  not  knowing 
what  to  make  of  this  manoeuvre,  when  "  bang  !"  went  a 
heavy  gun,  a  little  on  our  weather  quarter.  The  shot  passed 
our  wake,  for  we  had  filled  our  topsail,  and  it  went  skipping 
from  sea  to  sea,  after  the  felucca.  Turning  our  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  report,  we  saw  a  frigate  running  down  upon 
the  felucca,  carrying  studding-sails  on  both  sides,  with  the 
water  foaming  up  to  her  hawse-holes.  As  she  passed  our 
stern,  she  showed  an  English  ensign,  but  took  no  other  no- 
tice  of  us,  continuing  on  after  the  felucca,  and  occasionally 
measuring  her  distance  with  a  shot.  Both  vessels  soon  dis 


28  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

appeared  in  the  mist,  though  we  heard  guns  for  some  time. 
As  for  ourselves,  we  jogged  along  on  our  course,  wishing 
good  luck  to  the  Englishman.  The  felucca  showed  no  en 
sign,  the  whole  day.  Our  guineas  were  found,  some  weeks 
later,  in  a  bread-locker,  after  we  had  fairly  eaten  our  way 
down  to  them. 

The  other  adventure  occurred  very  soon  after  this  escape ; 
for,  though  the  felucca  may  have  had  a  commission,  she  waa 
a  pirate  in  appearance,  arid  most  probably  in  her  practices. 
The  thick  westerly  weather  continued  until  we  had  passed 
the  Straits.  The  night  we  were  abreast  of  Cape  Trafalgar, 
the  captain  came  on  deck  in  the  middle  watch,  and,  hailing 
the  forecastle,  ordered  a  sharp  look-out  kept,  as  we  must  be 
running  through  Lord  Collingwood's  fleet.  The  words  were 
hardly  out  of  his  mouth,  when  Spanish  Joe  sung  out,  "  sail 
ho !"  There  she  was,  sure  enough,  travelling  right  down 
upon  us,  in  a  line  that  threatened  to  take  us  between  the 
fore  and  main  masts.  The  captain  ordered  our  helm  hard 
up,  and  yelled  for  Cooper  to  bring  up  the  cabin  lantern. 
The  youngster  made  one  leap  down  the  ladder,  just  scraping 
the  steps  with  his  beels,  and  was  in  the  mizzen  rigging  with 
the  light,  in  half  a  minute.  That  saved  us.  So  near  was 
the  stranger,  that  we  plainly  heard  the  officer  of  the  deck 
call  out  to  his  own  quarter-master  to  "  port,  hard  a-port — 
hard  a-port,  and  be  d — d  to  you  !"  Hard  a-port  it  was,  and 
a  two-decker  came  brushing  along  on  our  weather  beam — 
so  near,  that,  when  she  lifted  on  the  seas,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
muzzles  of  her  guns  would  smash  our  rails.  The  Sterling 
did  not  behave  well  on  this  occasion,  for,  getting  a  yaw  to 
windward,  she  seemed  disposed  to  go  right  into  the  English 
man,  before  she  would  mind  her  helm.  After  the  man-of- 
war  hailed,  and  got  our  answer,  her  officer  quaintly  re 
marked  that  we  were  "  close  on  board  him."  It  blew  too 
fresh  for  boats,  and  we  were  suffered  to  pass  without  being 
boarded. 

The  ship  proceeded  up  to  Carthagena,  and  went  in.  Here 
we  were  put  in  quarantine  for  several  days.  The  port  was 
full  of  heavy  ships  of  war,  several  of  which  were  three- 
deckers  ;  and  an  arrival  direct  from  London  made  quite  a 
sensation  among  them.  We  had  divers  visits  from  the 
officers,  though  I  do  not  know  what  it  all  amounted  to. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  29 

From  Carthagena  we  were  sent  down  the  coast  to  a  little 
place  called  Aguilas,  where  we  began  to  take  in  a  cargo  of 
barilla.  At  night  we  would  discharge  our  shingle  ballast 
into  the  water,  contrary  to  law ;  and,  in  the  day,  we  took 
in  cargo.  So  clear  was  the  water,  that  our  night's  work 
might  easily  be  seen  next  morning,  lying  beneath  the  ship. 
As  we  lay  in  a  roadstead,  it  mattered  little,  few  vessels 
touching  at  tNe  port.  While  at  this  place,  there  was  an 
alarm  of  an  attack  from  an  English  man-of-war  that  was 
seen  in  the  offing,  and  priests  enough  turned  out  to  defend 
an  ordinary  town. 

We  got  about  half  our  freight  at  this  little  village,  and 
then  came  down  as  low  as  Almeria,  an  old  Moorish  town, 
just  below  Cape  de  Gatte,  for  the  remainder.  Here  we  lay 
several  weeks,  finishing  stowing  our  cargo.  I  went  ashore 
almost  every  day  to  market,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
something  of  the  Spaniards.  Our  ship  lay  a  good  distance 
off,  and  we  landed  at  a  quarantine  station,  half  a  mile,  at 
least,  from  the  water-gate,  to  which  we  were  compelled  to 
walk  along  the  beach. 

One  of  my  journeys  to  the  town  produced  a  little  adven 
ture.  The  captain  had  ordered  Cooper  to  boil  some  pitch 
at  the  galley.  By  some  accident,  the  pot  was  capsized,  and 
the  ship  came  near  being  burned.  A  fresh  pot  was  now 
provided,  and  Cooper  and  Dan  McCoy  were  sent  ashore,  at 
the  station,  with  orders  to  boil  down  pitch  on  the  land.  There 
was  no  wharf,  and  it  was  always  necessary  to  get  ashore 
through  a  surf.  The  bay  is  merely  an  elbow,  half  the  winds 
blowing  in  from  the  open  sea.  Sometimes,  therefore,  land 
ing  is  ticklish  work  and  requires  much  skill.  I  went  ashore 
with  the  pitch,  and  proceeded  into  the  town  on  my  errands, 
whilst  the  two  lads  lighted  their  fire  and  began  to  boil  down. 
When  all  was  ready,  it  was  seen  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
swell,  and  that  the  breakers  looked  squally.  The  orders, 
however,  were  to  go  off,  on  such  occasions,  and  not  to  wait, 
as  delay  generally  made  matters  worse.  We  got  into  the 
boat,  accordingly,  and  shoved  off.  For  a  minute,  or  more, 
things  went  well  enough,  when  a  breaker  took  the  bows  of 
the  jolly-boat,  lifted  her  nearly  on  end,  and  turned  her  keel 
uppermost.  One  scarcely  knows  how  he  gets  out  of  such 
a  scrape.  We  all  came  ashore,  however,  heels  over  head, 
3* 


30  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

people,  pot,  boat,  and  oars.  The  experiment  was  renewed^ 
less  the  pitch  and  a  pair  of  new  shoes  of  mine,  and  it  met 
with  exactly  the  same  result.  On  a  third  effort,  the  boat 
got  through  the  surf  and  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  ship. 
These  are  the  sorts  of  scenes  that  harden  lads,  and  make 
them  fond  of  risks.  I  could  not  swim  a  stroke,  and  cer 
tainly  would  have  been  drowned  had  not  the  Mediterranean 
cast  me  ashore,  as  if  disdaining  to  take  a  life  of  so  little 
value  to  anybody  but  myself. 

After  lying  several  weeks  at  Almeria,  the  ship  got  under 
way  for  England  again.  We  had  fresh  westerly  gales,  and 
beat  to  and  fro,  between  Europe  and  Africa,  for  some  time, 
when  we  got  a  Levanter  that  shoved  us  out  into  the  Atlan 
tic  at  a  furious  rate.  In  the  Straits  we  passed  a  squadron 
of  Portuguese  frigates,  that  was  cruising  against  the  Alge- 
rines.  It  was  the  practice  of  these  ships  to  lie  at  the  Rock 
until  it  blew  strong  enough  from  the  eastward  to  carry  ves 
sels  through  the  Gut,  when  they  weighed  and  kept  in  the 
offing  until  the  wind  shifted.  This  was  blockading  the  At 
lantic  against  their  enemies,  and  the  Mediterranean  against 
their  own  ships. 

We  had  a  long  passage  and  were  short  of  salt  provisions. 
Falling  in  with  an  American  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  we  got 
a  barrel  of  beef  which  lasted  us  in.  When  near  the  chops 
of  the  channel,  with  a  light  southerly  wind,  we  made  a  sail 
in  our  wake,  that  came  up  with  us  hand  over  hand.  She 
went  nearly  two  feet  to  our  one,  the  barilla  pressing  the 
Sterling  down  into  the  water,  and  making  her  very  dull, 
more  especially  in  light  airs.  When  the  stranger  got  near 
enough,  we  saw  that  he  was  pumping,  the  water  running 
out  of  his  scuppers  in  a  constant  stream.  He  was  several 
hours  in  sight,  the  whole  time  pumping.  This  ship  passed 
within  a  cable's-length  of  us,  without  taking  any  more  no 
tice  of  us  than  if  we  had  been  a  mile-stone.  She  was  an 
English  two-decker,  and  we  could  distinguish  the  features 
of  her  men,  as  they  stood  in  the  waist,  apparently  taking 
breath  after  their  trial  at  the  pumps.  She  dropped  a  hawse- 
bucket,  and  we  picked  it  up,  when  she  was  about  half  a  mile 
ahead  of  us.  It  had  the  broad-arrow  on  it,  and  a  custom 
house  officer  seeing  it,  some  time  after,  was  disposed  to  seizo 
it  as  a  prize. 


A     LIFE    BEFORE      THE     MAST.  31 

We  never  knew  the  name  of  this  ship,  but  there  was 
something  proud  and  stately  in  her  manner  of  passing  us, 
in  her  distress,  without  so  much  as  a  hail.  It  is  true,  we 
could  have  done  her  no  good,  and  her  object,  doubtless,  was 
to  get  into  dock  as  soon  as  possible.  Some  thought  she  had 
been  in  action,  and  was  going  home  to  repair  damages  that 
could  not  be  remedied  at  sea. 

Soon  after  this  vessel  was  seen,  we  had  proof  how  diffi 
cult  it  is  to  judge  of  a  ship's  size  at  sea.  A  vessel  was  made 
ahead,  standing  directly  for  us.  Mr.  Irish  soon  pronounced 
her  a  sloop  of  war.  Half  an  hour  later  she  grew  into  a  fri 
gate,  but  when  she  came  abeam  she  showed  three  tiers  of 
ports,  being  a  ninety.  This  ship  also  passed  without  deign 
ing  to  take  any  notice  of  us. 


CHAPTER    III. 

WE  made  the  Land's  End  in  fine  weather,  and  with  a 
fair  wind.  Instead  of  keeping  up  channel,  however,  our 
ship  hauled  in  for  the  land.  Cooper  was  at  the  helm,  and 
the  captain  asked  him  if  he  knew  of  any  one  on  board  who 
.  had  ever  been  into  Falmouth.  He  was  told  that  Philadel 
phia  Bill  had  been  pointing  out  the  different  head-lands  on 
the  forecastle,  and  that,  by  his  own  account,  he  had  sailed  a 
long  time  out  of  the  port.  This  Bill  was  a  man  of  fifty, 
steady,  trust-worthy,  quiet,  and  respected  by  every  man  in 
the  ship.  He  had  taken  a  great  liking  to  Cooper,  whom  he 
used  to  teach  how  to  knot  and  splice,  and  other  niceties  of 
the  calling,  and  Cooper  often  took  him  ashore  with  him,  and 
amused  him  with  historical  anecdotes  of  the  different  places 
we  visited.  In  short,  the  intimacy  between  them  was  as 
great  as  well  could  be,  seeing  the  difference  in  their  educa 
tions  and  ages.  But,  even  to  Cooper,  Bill  always  called 
himself  a  Philadelphian.  In  appearance,  indeed,  he  resem 
bled  one  of  those  whom  we  call  Yankees,  in  America,  more 
than  anything  else. 

Bill  was  now  sent  for  and  questioned.  He  seemed  un 
easy,  but  admitted  he  could  take  the  ship  into  Falmouth. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  way,  but  a  rock  abreast  Penden- 


32  NED     MYERS;     OR, 

nis  Castle,  but  it  was  easy  to  give  that  a  berth.     We  now 
learned  that  the  captain  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  into 
this  port  and  ride  out  the  quarantine  to  which  all  Mediterra 
nean  vessels  were  subject.     Bill  took  us  in  very  quietly, 
and  the  ship  was  ordered  up  a  few  miles  above  the  town,  to 
a  bay  where  vessels  rode  out  their  quarantine.     The  next 
day  a  doctor's  boat  came  alongside,  and  we  were  ordered  to 
show  ourselves,  and  flourish  our  limbs,  in  order  to  make  it 
evident  we  were  alive  and  kicking.     There  were  four  men 
in  the  boat,  and,  as  it  turned  out,  every  one  of  them  recog 
nised  Bill,  who  was  born  within  a  few  miles  of  the  very  spot 
where  the  ship  lay,  and  had  a  wife  then  living  a  great  deal 
nearer  to  him  than  he  desired.     It  was  this  wife — there  hap 
pening  to  be  too  much  of  her — that  had  driven  the  poor  fei 
low  to  America,  twenty  years  before,  and  which  rendered 
him   unwilling  to  live  in  his  native  country.     By  private 
means,  Bill  managed  to  have  some  communication  with  the 
men  in  the  boat,  and  got  their  promises  not  to  betray  him. 
This  was  done  by  signs  altogether,  speaking  being  quite  out 
of  the  question. 

We  were  near,  or  quite,  a  fortnight  in  quarantine ;  after 
-which  the  ship  dropped  down  abreast  of  the  town.  This 
was  of  a  Saturday,  and  Sunday,  a  portion  of  the  crew  were 
permitted  to  go  ashore.  Bill  was  of  the  number,  and  when 
he  returned  he  admitted  that  he  had  been  so  much  excited 
at  finding  himself  in  the  place,  that  he  had  been  a  little 
indiscreet.  That  night  he  was  very  uncomfortable,  but 
nothing  occurred  to  molest  any  of  us.  The  next  morning 
all  seemed  right,  and  Bill  began  to  be  himself  again ;  often 
wishing,  however,  that  the  anchor  was  a-weigh,  and  the 
ship  turning  out  of  the  harbour.  We  soon  got  at  work,  and 
began  to  work  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  haven,  with  a  light 
breeze.  The  moment  we  were  clear  of  the  points,  or  head 
lands,  we  could  make  a  fair  wind  of  it  up  channel.  The 
ship  was  in  stays,  pretty  well  down,  under  Pendennis,  and 
the  order  had  been  given  to  swing  the  head  yards.  Bill  and 
Cooper  were  pulling  together  at  the  foretopsail  brace,  when 
the  report  of  a  musket  was  heard  quite  near  the  ship.  Bill 
let  go  the  brace,  turned  as  white  as  a  sheet,  and  exclaimed, 
"  I'm  gone !"  At  first,  the  men  near  him  thought  he  was 
shot,  but  a  gesture  towards  the  boat  which  had  fired,  ex- 


ALIFEBEORETHEMAST.  33 

plained  his  meaning.     The  order  was  given  to  belay  the 
head  braces,  and  we  waited  the  result  in  silence. 

The  press-gang  was  soon  on  board  us,  and  its  officer  asked 
to  have  the  crew  mustered.  This  humiliating  order  was 
obeyed,  and  all  hands  of  us  were  called  aft.  The  officer 
seemed  easily  satisfied,  until  he  came  to  Bill.  *'  What  coun- 
cryman  are  you  ?"  he  asked.  "  An  American — a  Philadel- 
phian,"  answered  Bill.  "  You  are  an  Englishman."  "  No, 
sir ;  I  was  born — — "  "  Over  here,  across  the  bay,"  inter 
rupted  the  officer,  with  a  cool  smile,  "  where  your  dear  wife 

js  at  this  moment.     Your  name  is ,  and  you  are 

well  known  in  Falmouth.     Get  your  clothes,  arid  be  ready 
lo  go  in  the  boat." 

This  settled  the  matter.  Captain  Johnston  paid  Bill  his 
wages,  his  chest  was  lowered  into-  the  boat,  and  the  poor 
fellow  took  an  affectionate  leave  o£  his  ship-mates.  He  told 
those  around  him  that  his  fate  was  sealed.  He  was  too  old 
to  outlive  a  war  that  appeared  to  have  no  end,  and  they 
would  never  trust  him  on  shore.  "  My  foot  will  never  touch 
the  land  again,"  he  said  to  Cooper,  as  he  squeezed  his  young 
friend's  hand,  "  and  I  am  to  live  and  die,  with  a  ship  for  my 
prison." 

The  loss  of  poor  Bill  made  us  all  sad  ;  but  there  was  no 
remedy.  We  got  into  the  offing,  and  squared  away  for  the 
river  again.  When  we  reached  London,  the  ship  discharged 
down  at  Limehouse,  where  she  lay  in  a  tier  of  Americans 
for  some  time.  We  then  took  in  a  little  ballast,  and  went 
up  opposite  to  the  dock  gates  once  more.  We  next  docked 
and  cleaned  the  ship,  on  the  Deptford  side,  and  then  hauled 
into  the  wet-dock  in  which  we  had  discharged  our  flour. 

Here  the  ship  lay  part  of  May,  all  of  June,  and  most  of 
July,  taking  in  freight  for  Philadelphia,  as  it  offered.  This 
gave  our  people  a  good  deal  of  spare  time,  and  we  were 
allowed  to  go  ashore  whenever  we  were  not  wanted.  •  Cooper 
now  took  me  in  tow,  and  many  a  drift  I  had  with  him  and 
Dan  McCoy  up  to  St.  Paul's,  the  parks,  palaces,  and  the 
Abbey.  A  little  accident  that  happened  about  this  time, 
attached  me  to  Cooper  more  than  common,  and  made  me 
more  desirous  than  ever  to  cruise  in  his  company. 

I  was  alone,  on  deck,  one  Sunday,  when  I  saw  a  little 
dog  running  about  on  board  a  vessel  that  lay  outside  of  us. 


34  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

Around  the  neck  of  this  animal,  some  one  had  fastened  a 
sixpence,  by  a  bit  of  riband  rove  through  a  hole.  I  thought 
this  sixpence  might  be  made  better  use  of,  in  purchasing 
some  cherries,  for  which  I  had  a  strong  longing,  and  I  gave 
chase.  In  attempting  to  return  to  our  own  ship,  with  the 
dog,  I  fell  into  the  water,  between  the  two  vessels.  I  could 
not  swim  a  stroke ;  and  I  sang  out,  lustily,  for  help.  As 
good  luck  would  have  it,  Cooper  came  on  board  at  that  pre 
cise  instant ;  and,  hearing  my  outcry,  he  sprang  down  be 
tween  the  ships,  and  rescued  me  from  drowning.  I  thought 
I  was  gone ;  and  my  condition  made  an  impression  on  me 
that  never  will  be  lost.  Had  not  Cooper  accidentally 
appeared,  just  as  he  did,  Ned  Myers's  yarn  would  have 
ended  with  this  paragraph.  I  ought  to  add,  that  the  six 
pence  got  clear,  the  dog  swimming  away  with  it. 

I  had  another  escape  from  drowning,  while  we  lay  in  the 
docks,  having  fallen  overboard  from  the  jolly-boat,  while 
making  an  attempt  at  sculling.  I  forget,  now,  how  I  wag 
saved  ;  but  then  I  had  the  boat  and  the  oar  to  hold  on  to.  In 
the  end,  it  will  be  seen  by  what  a  terrific  lesson  I  finally 
learned  to  swim. 

One  Sunday  we  were  drifting  up  around  the  palace ;  and 
then  it  was  that  I  told  Cooper  that  the  Duke  of  Kent  was  my 
godfather.  He  tried  to  persuade  me  to  make  a  call ;  saying 
I  could  do  no  less  than  pay  this  respect  to  the  prince.  I  had 
half  a  mind  to  try  my  hand  at  a  visit ;  but  felt  too  shy,  and 
too  much  afraid.  Had  I  done  as  Cooper  so  strongly  urged 
me  to  do,  one  cannot  say  what  might  have  been  the  conse 
quences,  or  what  change  might  have  been  brought  about  in 
my  fortunes.* 

One  day  Mr.  Irish  was  in  high  glee,  having  received  a 
message  from  Captain  Johnston,  to  inform  him  that  the  lat 
ter  was  pressed  !  The  captain  used  to  dress  in  a  blue  long- 
tog,  drab-breeches  and  top-boots,  when  he  went  ashore. 
"  He  thought  he  could  pass  for  a  gentleman  from  the  coun 
try,"  said  Mr.  Irish,  laughing,  "  but  them  pressgang  chaps 

*  I  well  remember  using  these  arguments  to  Ned  ;  though  less  with 
any  expectations  of  being  admitted,  than  the  boy  seemed  to  believe. 
There  was  more  roguery,  than  anything  else,  in  my  persuasion ; 
though  it  was  mixed  with  a  latent  wish  to  see  the  interior  of  the  pa- 
Jace. —  EDITOR. 


A      LIFE      BEFORE     THE     MAST.  35 

smelt  the  tar  in  his  very  boots !"  Cooper  was  sent  to  the 
rendezvous,  with  the  captain's  desk  and  papers,  and  the 
latter  was  liberated.  We  all  liked  the  captain,  who  was 
kind  and  considerate  in  his  treatment  of  all  hands ;  but  it 
was  fine  fun  for  us  to  have  "  the  old  fellow"  pressed  —  "  old 
fellow"  of  six  or  eight-and-twenty,  as  he  was  then. 

About  the  last  of  July,  we  left  London,  bound  home.  Our 
crew  had  again  undergone  some  changes.  We  shipped  a 
second  mate,  a  New-England  man.  Jim  Russel  'left  us. 
We  had  lost  Bill ;  and,  another  Bill,  a  dull  Irish  lad,  who 
had  gone  to  Spain,  quitted  us  also.  Our  crew  consisted  of 
only  Spanish  Joe ;  Big  Dan  ;  Little  Dan  ;  Stephen,  the  Ken- 
nebunk  man ;  Cooper ;  a  Swede,  shipped  in  London ;  a  man 
whose  name  I  have  forgotten  ;  and  a  young  man  who  passed 

by  the  name  of  Davis,  but  who  was,  in  truth, ,  a 

son  of  the  pilot  who  had  brought  us  in,  and  taken  us  out, 
each  time  we  passed  up  or  down  the  river.  This  Davis  had 
sailed  in  a  coaster  belonging  to  his  father, and  had  got  pressed 
in  Sir  Home  Popham's  South-American  squadron.  They 
made  him  a  midshipman  ;  but,  disliking  the  sea,  he  was  de 
termined  to  go  to  America.  Wre  had  to  smuggle  him  out 
of  the  country,  on  account  of  the  pressgang;  he  making  his 
appearance  on  board  us,  suddenly,  one  night,  in  the  river. 

The  Sterling  was  short-handed  this  passage,  mustering 
but  four  hands  in  a  watch.  Notwithstanding,  we  often 
reefed  in  the  watch,  though  Cooper  and  Little  Dan  were 
both  scarcely  more  than  boys.  Our  mates  used  to  go  aloft,  and 
both  were  active,  powerful  men.  The  cook,  too,  was  a 
famous  fellow  at  a  drag.  In  these  delicate  times,  when  two 
or  three  days  of  watch  and  watch  knock  up  a  set  of  young 
men,  one  looks  back  with  pride  to  a  passage  like  this,  when 
fourteen  men  and  boys — four  of  the  latter — brought  a  good 
sized  ship  across  the  ocean,  reefing  in  the  watch,  weathering 
many  a  gale,  and  thinking  nothing  of  it.  I  presume  half 
our  people,  on  a  pinch,  could  have  brought  the  Sterling  in. 
One  of  the  boys  I  have  mentioned  was  named  John  Pugh,  a 
little  fellow  the  captain  had  taken  as  an  apprentice  in  Lon 
don,  and  who  was  now  at  sea  for  the  first  time  in  his  life. 

We  had  a  long  passage.  Every  inch  of  the  way  to  the 
Downs  was  tide-work.  Here  we  lay  several  days,  waiting 
for  a  wind.  It  blew  fresh  from  the  southwest  half  of  that 


36  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

summer,  and  the  captain  was  not  willing  to  go  out  with  a 
foul  wind.  We  wera  surrounded  with  vessels  of  war,  mosl 
of  the  Channel  Fleet  being  at  anchor  around  us.  This 
made  a  gay  scene,  and  we  had  plenty  of  music,  and  plenty 
of  saluting.  One  day  all  hands  turned-to  together,  and  fired 
starboard  and  larboard,  until  we  could  see  nothing  but  a  few 
mast-heads.  What  it  all  meant  I  never  heard,  but  it  made 
a  famous  smoke,  and  a  tremendous  noise. 

A  frigate  came  in,  and  anchored  just  ahead  of  us.     She 
lowered  a  boat,  and  sent  a  reefer  alongside  to  inform  us  that 

she  was  His  Majesty's  ship ;  that  she  had  lost  all  her 

anchors  but  the  stream,  and  she  might  strike  adrift,  and  he 
advised  us  to  get  out  of  her  way.  The  captain  held  on 
that  day,  however,  but  next  morning  she  came  into  us, 
sure  enough.  The  ships  did  not  get  clear  without  some 
trouble,  and  we  thought  it  wisest  to  shift  our  berth.  Once 
aweigh,  the  captain  thought  it  best  to  turn  out  of  the 
Downs,  which  we  did,  working  through  the  Straits,  and 
anchoring  under  Dungeness,  as  soon  as  the  flood  made. 
Here  we  lay  until  near  sun-set,  when  we  got  under  way  to 
try  our  hand  upon  the  ebb.  I  believe  the  skipper  had  made 
up  his  mind  to  tide  it  down  to  the  Land's  End,  rather  than 
remain  idle  any  longer.  There  was  a  sloop  of  war  lying 
ih-shore  of  us,  a  mile  or  so,  and  just  as  we  stretched  out 
from  under  the  land,  she  began  to  telegraph  with  a  signal 
station  ashore.  Soon  after,  she  weighed,  and  came  out, 
also.  In  the  middle  watch  we  passed  this  ship,  on  opposite 
.  tacks,  and  learned  that  an  embargo  had  been  laid,  and  that 
we  had  only  saved  our  distance  by  some  ten  or  fifteen  min 
utes  !  This  embargo  was  to  prevent  the  intelligence  of  the 
Copenhagen  expedition  from  reaching  the  Danes.  That  very 
day,  we  passed  a  convoy  of  transports,  carrying  a  brigade 
from  Pendennis  Castle  to  Yarmouth,  in  order  to  join  the 
main  fleet.  A  gun-brig  brought  us  to,  and  came  near  press 
ing  the  Swede,  under  the  pretence  that  being  allies  of  his 
king,  England  had  a  right  to  his  services.  Had  not  the 
man  been  as  obstinate  as  a  bull,  and  positively  refused  to 
go,  I  do  believe  we  should  have  lost  him.  He  was  ordered 
into  the  boat  at  least  half-a-dozen  times,  but  swore  he  would 
not  budge.  Cooper  had  a  little  row  with  this  boarding  off 
cer,  but  was  silenced  by  the  captain. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  37 

After  the  news  received  from  the  sloop  of  war,  it  may  be 
supposed  we  did  not  venture  to  anchor  anywhere  on  English 
ground.  Keeping  the  channel,  we  passed  the  Isle  of  Wight 
several  times,  losing  on  the  flood,  the  distance  made  on  the 
ebb.  At  length  we  got  a  slant  and  fetched  out  into  the  At 
lantic,  heading  well  to  the  southward,  however.  Our  pas 
sage  was  long,  even  after  we  got  clear,  the  winds  carrying 
us  down  as  low  as  Corvo,  which  island  we  made,  and  then 
taking  us  well  north  again.  We  had  one  very  heavy  blow 
that  forced  us  to  scud,  the  Sterling  being  one  of  the  wettest 
ships  that  ever  floated,  when  heading  up  to  the  sea. 

When  near  the  American  coast,  we  spoke  an  English  brig 
that  gave  us  an  account  of  the  affair  between  the  Leopard 
and  the  Chesapeake,  though  he  made  his  own  countrymen 
come  out  second-best.  Bitter  were  the  revilings  of  Mr.  Irish 
when  the  pilot  told  us  the  real  state  of  the  case.  As  was 
usual  with  this  ship's  luck,  we  tided  it  up  the  bay  and  river, 
and  got  safe  alongside  of  the  wharf  at  Philadelphia,  at  last. 
Here  our  crew  was  broken  up,  of  course,  and,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Jack  Pugh,  my  brother  apprentice,  and  Cooper,  I 
never  saw  a  single  soul  of  them  afterwards.  Most  of  them 
went  on  to  New  York,  and  were  swallowed  up  in  the  great 
vortex  of  seamen.  Mr.  Irish,  I  heard,  died  the  next  voyage 
he  made,  chief  mate  of  an  Indiaman.  He  was  a  prime  fel 
low,  and  fit  to  command  a  ship. 

Such  was  my  first  voyage  at  sea,,  for  I  count  the  passage 
round  from  Halifax  as  nothing.  I  had  been  kept  in  the 
cabin,  it  is  true,  but  our  work  had  been  of  the  most  active 
kind.  The  Sterling  must  have  brought  up,  and  been  got 
under  way,  between  fifty  and  a  hundred  times  ;  and  as  for 
tacking,  waring,  chappelling  round,  and  box-hauling,  we  had 
so  much  of  it  by  the  channel  pilots,  that  the  old  barky  scarce 
knew  which  end  was  going  foremost.  In  that  day,  a  ship 
did  not  get  from  the  Forelands  up  to  London  without  some 
trouble,  and  great  was  our  envy  of  the  large  blocks  and 
light  cordage  of  the  colliers,  which  made  such  easy  work 
for  their  men.  We  singled  much  of  our  rigging,  the  second 
voyage  up  the  river,  ourselves,  and  it  was  a  great  relief  to 
the  people.  A  set  of  grass  foresheets,  too,  that  we  bought 
in  Spain,  got  to  be  great  favourites,  though,  in  the  end,  they 
cost  the  ship  the  life  of  a  very  valuable  man. 
4 


38 

Captain  Johnston  now  determined  to  send  rne  to  Wisens- 
set,  that  I  might  go  to  school.  A  Wiscasset  schooner,  called 
the  Clarissa,  had  come  into  Philadelphia,  with  freight  from 
the  West  Indies,  and  she  was  about  to  sail  for  home  in  bal 
last.  I  was  put  on  board  as  a  passenger,  and  we  sailed 
about  a  week  after  the  ship  got  in  from  London.  Jack  Pugh 
staid  behind,  the  Sterling  being  about  to  load  for  Ireland. 
On  board  the  Clarissa  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Phila- 
delphian  born,  who  was  an  apprentice  to  the  master  of  the 
schooner,  of  the  name  of  Jack  Mallet.  He  was  a  little  oldei 
than  myself,  and  we  soon  became  intimate,  and,  in  time, 
were  fated  to  see  many  strange  things  in  company. 

The  Clarissa  went,  by  the  Vineyard  Sound  and  the  Shoals, 
into  Boston.  Here  she  landed  a  few  crates,  and  then  sailed 
for  Wiscasset,  where  we  arrived  after  a  pretty  long  passage. 
I  was  kindly  received  by  the  mother  and  family  of  Captain 
Johnston,  and  immediately  sent  to  school.  Shortly  after, 
we  heard  of  the  embargo,  and,  the  Clarissa  being  laid  up, 
Jack  Mallet  became  one  of  my  school-mates.  We  soon 
learned  that  the  Sterling  had  not  been  able  to  get  out,  and, 
ere  long,  Jack  Pugh  joined  our  party.  A  little  later,  Captain 
Johnston  arrived,  to  go  into  the  commercial  quarantine  with 
the  rest  of  us. 

This  was  the  long  embargo,  as  sailors  called  it,  and  it  did 
not  terminate  until  Erskine's  arrangement  was  made,  in 
1809.  All  this  time  I  remained  in  Wiscasset,  at  school, 
well  treated,  and,  if  anything,  too  much  indulged.  Captain 
Johnston  remained  at  home  all  this  time,  also,  and,  having 
nothing  else  to  do,  he  set  about  looking  out  for  a  wife.  We 
had,  at  school,  Jack  Pugh,  Jack  Mallet,  and  Bill  Swett,  the 
latter  being  a  lad  a  little  older  than  myself,  and  a  nephew 
of  the  captain's.  I  was  now  sixteen,  and  had  nearly  gotten 
my  growth. 

As  soon  as  the  embargo  was  removed,  Captain  Johnston, 
accompanied  by  Swett,  started  for  Philadelphia,  to  bring  the 
ship  round  to  New  York.  From  that  place  he  intended  to 
sail  for  Liverpool,  where  Jack  Pugh  and  myself  were  to  join 
him,  sailing  in  a  ship  called  the  Columbia.  This  plan  was 
changed,  however,  and  we  were  sent  round  by  sea  to  join 
the  Sterling  again,  in  the  port  where  I  had  first  found  her. 
As  this  was  near  three  years  after  I  had  quitted  the  HeJ 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  39 

zer's  so  unceremoniously,  I  went  to  look  for  them.  Their 
old  neighbours  told  me  they  had  been  gone  to  Martinique, 
about  a  twelvemonth.  This  was  the  last  intelligence  I  ever 
heard  of  them.  Bill  Swett  was  now  put  into  the  cabin,  and 
Jack  Pugh  and  myself  were  sent  regularly  to  duty  before 
the  mast.  We  lived  in  the  steerage,  and  had  cabin  fare ; 
but,  otherwise,  had  the  fortunes  of  foremast  Jacks.  Our 
freight  was  wheat  in  the  lower  hold,  flour  betwixt  decks,  and 
cotton  on  deck.  The  ship  was  very  deep.  Our  crew  was 
good,  but  both  our  mates  were  foreigners. 

Nothing  occurred  until  we  got  near  soundings,  when  it 
came  on  to  blow  very  heavy  from  the  southward  and  west 
ward.  The  ship  was  running  under  a  close-reefed  main-top 
sail  and  foresail,  with  a  tremendous  sea  on.  Just  as  night 
set  in,  one  Harry,  a  Prussian,  came  on  deck  from  his  supper 
to  relieve  the  wheel,  and,  fetching  a  lurch  as  he  went  aft,  he 
brought  up  against  the  launch,  and  thence  down  against  our 
grass  fore-sheet,  which  had  been  so  great  a  favourite  in  the 
London  passages.  This  rope  had  been  stretched  above  the 
deck  load  for  a  ridge  rope,  but,  being  rotten,  it  gave  way 
when  the  poor  Prussian  struck  it,  and  he  went  into  the  sea. 
We  could  do  no  more  than  throw  him  the  sky-light,  which 
was  large ;  but  the  ship  went  foaming  ahead,  leaving  the 
poor  fellow  to  his  fate,  in  the  midst  of  the  hissing  waters. 
Some  of  our  people  thought  they  saw  poor  Harry  on  the 
sky-light,  but  this  could  not  have  made  much  difference  in 
such  a  raging  sea.  It  was  impossible  to  round-to,  and  as 
for  a  boat's  living,  it  was  out  of  the  question.  This  was  the 
first  man  I  saw  lost  at  sea,  and,  notwithstanding  the  severity 
of  the  gale,  and  the  danger  of  the  ship  herself,  the  fate  of 
this  excellent  man  made  us  all  melancholy.  The  captain 
felt  it  bitterly,  as  was  evident  from  his  manner.  Still,  the 
thing  was  unavoidable. 

We  had  begun  to  shorten  sail  early  in  the  afternoon,  and 
Harry  was  lost  in  the  first  dog-watch.  A  little  later  the 
larboard  fore-sheet  went,  and  the  sail  was  split.  All  hands 
were  called,  and  the  rags  were  rolled  up,  and  the  gaskets 
passed.  The  ship  now  laboured  so  awfully  that  she  began 
to  leak.  The  swell  was  so  high  that  we  did  not  dare  to 
come  by  the  wind,  and  the  seas  would  come  in,  just  about 
the  main  chains,  meet  in  board  and  travel  out  over  her  bows 


40  NED     MYEBS;     OR, 

in  a  way  to  threaten  everything  that  could  be  moved.  We 
lads  were  lashed  at  the  pumps,  and  ordered  to  keep  at  work ; 
and  to  make  matters  worse,  the  wheat  began  to  work  its 
way  into  the  pump-well.  While  things  were  in  this  state, 
the  main-top-sail  split,  leaving  the  ship  without  a  rag  of  sail 
on  her. 

The  Sterling  loved  to  be  under  water,  even  in  moderate 
weather.  Many  a  time  have  I  seen  her  send  the  water  aft, 
into  the  quarter-deck  scuppers,  and,  as  for  diving,  no  loon 
was  quicker  than  she.  Now,  that  she  was  deep  and  was 
rolling  her  deck-load  to  the  water,  it  was  time  to  think  of 
lightening  her.  The  cotton  was  thrown  overboard  as  fast 
as  we  could,  and  what  the  men  could  not  start  the  seas  did. 
After  a  while  we  eased  the  ship  sensibly,  and  it  was  well  we 
did ;  the  wheat  choking  the  pumps  so  often,  that  we  had 
little  opportunity  for  getting  out  the  water. 

I  do  riot  now  recollect  at  what  hour  of  this  fearful  night, 
Captain  Johnston  shouted  out  to  us  all  to  "  look  out" — and 
"  hold  on."  The  ship  was  broaching-to.  Fortunately  she 
did  this  at  a  lucky  moment,  and,  always  lying-to  well, 
though  wet,  we  made  much  better  weather  on  deck.  The 
mizzen-staysail  was  now  set  to  keep  her  from  falling  off 
into  the  troughs  of  the  sea.  Still  the  wind  blew  as  hard  as 
ever.  First  one  sail,  then  another,  got  loose,  and  a  hard 
time  we  had  to  keep  the  canvass  to  the  yards.  Then  the 
foretopmast  went,  with  a  heavy  lurch,  and  soon  after  the 
main,  carrying  with  it  the  mizzen-top-gallant-mast.  We 
owed  this  to  the  embargo,  in  my  judgment,  the  ship's  rig 
ging  having  got  damaged  lying  dry  so  long.  We  were  all 
night  clearing  the  wreck,  and  the  men  who  used  the  hatch 
ets,  told  us  that  the  wind  would  cant  their  tools  so  violently 
that  they  sometimes  struck  on  the  eyes,  instead  of  the  edge 
The  gale  fairly  seemed  like  a  hard  substance. 

We  passed  a  fearful  night,  working  at  the  pumps,  and 
endeavouring  to  take  care  of  the  ship.  Next  morning  it 
moderated  a  little,  and  the  vessel  was  got  before  the  wind, 
which  was  perfectly  fair.  She  could  carry  but  little  sail ; 
though  we  got  up  top-gallant-masts  for  top-masts,  as  soon  as 
the  sea  would  permit.  About  four,  I  saw  the  land  myself, 
and  pointed  it  out  to  the  mate.  It  was  Cape  Clear,  and  we 


ALIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  41 

were  heading  for  it  as  straight  as  we  could  go.  We  hauled 
up  to  clear  it,  and  ran  into  the  Irish  channel.  A  large  fleet 
of  vessels  had  gathered  in  and  near  the  chops  of  the  chan 
nel,  in  readiness  to  run  into  Liverpool  by  a  particular  day 
that  had  been  named  in  the  law  opening  the  trade,  and  great 
had  been  the  destruction  among  them.  I  do  not  remember 
the  number  of  the  ships  we  saw,  but  there  must  have  been 
more  than  a  hundred.  It  was  afterwards  reported,  that  near 
fifty  vessels  were  wrecked  on  the  Irish  coast.  Almost  every 
craft  we  fell  in  with  was  more  or  less  dismasted,  and  one 
vessel,  a  ship  called  the  Liberty,  was  reported  to  have  gone 
down,  with  every  soul  on  board  her. 

The  weather  becoming  moderate,  all  hands  of  us  went 
into  Liverpool,  the  bgst_way  we  could.  The  Sterling  had 
good  luck  in  getting  up,  though  we  lay  some  time  in  the 
river  before  we  were  able  to,  get  into  dock.  When  we  got 
out  the  cargo,  we  found  it  much  damaged,  particularly  the 
wheat.  The  last  was  so  hot  that  we  could  not  bear  our  feet 
among  it.  We  got  it  all  out  in  a  few  days,  when  we  went 
into  a  dry  dock,  and  repaired. 

This  visit  to  Liverpool  scattered  our  crew  as  if  it  had 
been  so  much  dust  in  a  squall.  Most  of  our  men  were 
pressed,  and  those  that  were  not,  ran.  But  one  man,  us 
boys  excepted,  stuck  by  the  ship.  The  chief  mate  —  a 
foreigner,  though  of  what  country  I  never  could  discover— 
lived  at  a  house  kept  by  a  handsome  landlady.  To  oblige 
this  lady,  he  ordered  William  Swett  and  myself  to  carry  a 
bucket-full  of  salt,  each,  up  to  her  house.  The  salt  came 
out  of  the  harness-cask,  and  we  took  it  ashore  openly,  but 
we  were  stopped  on  the  quay  by  a  custorn-house  officer,  who 
threatened  to  seize  the  ship.  Such  was  the  penalty  for  land 
ing  two  buckets  of  Liverpool  salt  at  Liverpool ! 

Captain  Johnston  had  the  matter  explained,  and  he  dis 
charged  the  mate.  Next  day,  the  discharged  man  and  the 
second  mate  were  pressed.  We  got  the  last,  who  was  a 
Swede,  clear ;  and  the  chief  mate,  in  the  end,  made  his 
escape,  and  found  his  way  back  to  New  York.  Among 
those  impressed,  was  Jack  Pugh,  who  having  been  bound 
in  London,  we  did  not  dare  show  his  papers.  The  captain 
tried  hard  to  get  the  boy  clear,  but  without  success.  I  i:cver 
4* 


42  NED    MYERS;    on, 

saw  poor  Jack  after  this ;  though  I  learn  he  ran  from  the 
market-boat  of  the  guard-ship,  made  his  way  back  to  Wis- 
casset,  where  he  stayed  some  time,  then  shipped,  and  was 
lost  at  sea. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

AT  length  we  got  a  new  crew,  and  sailed  for  home.  We 
had  several  passengers  on  board,  masters  of  American  ships 
who  could  go  back  themselves,  but  not  carry  their  vessels  with 
them,  on  account  of  certain  liberties  the  last  had  taken  with 
the  laws.  These  persons  were  called  "  embargo  captains." 

One  of  them,  a  Captain  B ,  kept  Captain  Johnston's 

watch,  and  got  so  much  into  his  confidence  and  favour,  that 
he  gave  him  the  vessel  in  the  end.  The  passage  home  was 
stormy  and  long,  but  offered  nothing  remarkable.  A  non 
importation  law  had  been  passed  during  our  absence,  and 
our  ship  was  seized  in  New  York  in  consequence  of  having 
a  cargo  of  English  salt.  We  had  taken  the  precaution, 
however,  to  have  the  salt  cleared  in  Liverpool,  and  put  afloat 
before  the  day  named  in  the  law,  and  got  clear  after  a  de 
tention  of  two  months.  Salt  rose  so  much  in  the  interval, 
that  the  seizure  turned  out  to  be  a  good  thing  for  the  own 
ers. 

While  the  ship  was  lying  off  the  Battery,  on  her  return 
from  this  voyage,  and  before  she  had  hauled  in,  a  boat  came 
alongside  with  a  young  man  in  her  in  naval  uniform.  This 
was  Cooper,  who,  in  pulling  across  to  go  aboard  his  own 
vessel,  had  recognised  our  mast-heads,  and  now  came  to 
look  at  us.  This  was  the  last  time  I  met  him,  until  the  year 
1843;  or,  for  thirty- four  years. 

We  now  loaded  with  naval  stores,  and  cleared  again  for 
Liverpool.  Bill  Swett  did  not  make  this  voyage  with  us, 
the  cook  acting  as  steward.  We  had  good  passages  out  and 
home,  experiencing  no  detention  or  accidents.  In  the  spring 

of  1810,  Captain  Johnston  gave  the  ship  to  Captain  B , 

who  carried  us  to  Liverpool  for  the  third  time.  Nothing 


A     LIFE      BEFORE      THE     MAST.  43 

took  place  this  voyage  either,  worthy  of  being  mentioned, 
the  s.hip  getting  back  in  good  season.  We  now  took  in  a 
cargo  of  staves  for  Limerick.  Off  the  Hook  we  were 
brought-lo  by  the  Indian  sloop-of-war,  one  of  the  Halifax, 
cruisers,  a  squadron  in  company.  Several  vessels  were 
coming  out  at  the  same  time,  and  among  them  were  several 
of  the  clippers  in  the  French  trade.  The  Amiable  Matilda 
and  the  Colt  went  to  windward  of  the  Englishmen  as  if  the 
test  had  been  at  anchor ;  but  the  Tameahmeah,  when  near 
est  to  the  English,  got  her  yards  locked  in  stays,  and  was 
captured.  We  saw  all  this,  and  felt,  as  was  natural  to  men 
who  beheld  such  things  enacted  at  the  mouth  of  their  own 
port.  Our  passages  both  ways  were  pleasant,  and  nothing 
occurred  out  of  the  usual  course.  I  fell  in  with  a  press- 
gang,  however,  in  Limerick,  which  would  have  nabbed  me, 
but  for  a  party  of  Irishmen,  who  showed  fight  and  frighten 
ed  the  fellows  so  much  that  I  got  clear.  Once  before,  I  had 
been  in  the  hands  of  these  vermin  in  Liverpool,  but  Captain 
Johnston  had  got  me  clear  by  means  of  my  indentures.  I 
was  acting  as  second-mate  this  voyage. 

On  our  return  home,  the  ship  was  ordered  to  Charleston 
to  get  a  cargo  of  yellow  pine,  under  a  contract.  Captain 
B was  still  in  command,  my  old  master,  Captain  John 
ston,  being  then  at  home,  occupied  in  building  a  roew  ship. 
I  never  saw  this  kind-hearted  and  indulgent  seaman  until 
the  year  1842,  when  I  made  a  journey  to  Wiscasset  ex 
pressly  to  see  him.  Captain  B and  myself  were  never 

very  good  friends,  and  I  was  getting  to  be  impatient  of  his 
authority  ;  but  I  still  stuck  by  the  ship. 

We  had  an  ordinary  run  to  Charleston,  and  began  to 
prepare  for  the  reception  of  our  cargo.  At  this  time,  there 
were  two  French  privateers  on  the  southern  coast,  that  did 
a  great  deal  of  damage  to  our  trade.  One  went  into  Sa 
vannah,  and  got  burned,  for  her  pains ;  and  the  other  came 
into  Charleston,  and  narrowly  escaped  the  same  fate.  A 
mob  collected — made  a  fire-raft,  and  came  alongside  of  our 
ship,  demanding  some  tar.  To  own  the  truth,  though  then 
clothed  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  "  Dicky,"*  I  liked  the  fun, 
find  offered  no  resistance.  Bill  Swett  had  come  in,  in  a  ship 

*  Second-mate. 


44  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

called  the  United  States ;  and  he  was  on  board  the  Sterling, 
at  the  time,  on  a  visit  to  me.  We  two,  off  hatches,  and 
whipped  a  barrel  of  tar  on  deok ;  which  we  turned  over  to 
the  raftsmen,  with  our  hearty  good  wishes  for  their  success. 
All  this  .was,  legally,  very  wrong;  but,  I  still  think,  it  was 
not  so  very  far  from  being  morally  just ;  at  least,  as  regards 
the  privateersmen.  The  attempt  failed,  however,  and  those 
implicated  were  blamed  a  great  deal  more  than  they  would 
have  been,  had  they  burned  up  the  Frenchmen's  eye-bolts. 
It  is  bad  to  fail, in  a  legal  undertaking;  but  success  is  indis 
pensable  for  forgiveness,  to  one  that  is  illegal. 

That  night,   Captain  B •  and  the  chief  mate,  came 

down  upon  me,  like  a  gust,  for  having  parted  with  the  tar. 
They  concluded  their  lecture,  by  threatening  to  work  me 
up.  Bill  Swett  was  by,  and  he  got  his  share  of  the  dose. 
When  we  were  left  to  ourselves,  we  held  a  council  of  war, 
about  future  proceedings.  Our  crew  had  run,  to  a  man,  the 
cook  excepted,  as  usually  happens,  m  Charleston ;  and  we 
brought  in  the  cook,  as  a  counsellor.  This  man  told  me, 
that  he  had  overheard  the  captain  and  mate  laying  a  plan  to 
give  me  a  threshing,  as  soon  as  I  had  turned  in.  Bill,  now, 
frankly  proposed  that  I  should  run,  as  well  as  himself;  for 
he  had  already  left  his  ship ;  and  our  plan  was  soon  laid. 
Bill  went  ashore,  and  brought  a  boat  down  under  the  bows 
of  the  ship,  and  I  passed  my  dunnage  into  her,  by  going 
through  the  forecastle ;  I  then  left  the  Sterling,  for  ever, 
never  putting  my  foot  on  board  of  her  again.  I  saw  her, 
once  or  twice,  afterwards,  at  a  distance,  and  she  always 
looked  like  a  sort  of  home  to  me.  She  was  subsequently 
lost,  on  the  eastern  coast,  Captain  Johnston  still  owning  her, 
and  being  actually  on  board  her,  though  only  as  a  passenger. 
I  had  been  out  in  her  twelve  times,  from  country  to  country, 
besides  several  short  runs,  from  port  to  port.  She  always 
seemed  natural  to  me ;  and  I  had  got  to  know  every  tim 
ber  and  stick  about  her.  I  felt  more,  in  quitting  this  ship, 
than  I  did  in  quitting  Halifax.  This  desertion  was  the  third 
great  error  of  my  life.  The  first  was,  quitting  those  with 
whom  I  had  been  left  by  my  father;  the  second,  abandoning 
my  good  friends,  the  Heizers ;  and  the  third,  leaving  the 
Sterling.  Had  Captain  Johnston  been  in  the  ship,  I  never 
should  have  dreamed  of  running.  He  was  always  kind  to 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  45 

me ,'  and,  if  he  failed  in  justice,  it  was  on  the  side  of  indul 
gence.  Had  I  continued  with  him,  I  make  .no  doubt,  my 
career  would  have  been  very  different  from  what  it  has  since 
turned  out  to  be ;  and,  I  fear,  I  must  refer  one  of  the  very 
bad  habits,  that  afterwards  marred  my  fortunes,  that  of 
drinking  too  much,  to  this  act.  Still,  it  will  be  remembered, 
I  was  only  nineteen,  loved  adventure,  and  detested  Captain 

After  this  exploit,  Swett  and  I  kept  housed  for  a  week. 
He  then  got  into  a  ship  called  the  President,  and  I  into  an 
other  called  the  Tontine,  and  both  sailed  for  New  York, 
where  we  arrived  within  a  few  days  of  each  other.  We 
now  shipped  together  in  a  vessel  called  the  Jane,  bound  to 
Limerick.  This  was  near  the  close  of  the  year  1811.  Our 
passage  out  was  tremendously  bad,  and  we  met  with  some 
serious  accidents  to  our  people.  We  were  not  far  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Irish  channel  when  the  ship  broached-to,  in 
scudding  under  the  foresail  and  main-top-sail,  Bill  Swett  be 
ing  at  the  helm.  The  watch  below  ran  on  deck  and  hauled 
up  the  foresail,  without  orders,  to  prevent  the  ship  from  go 
ing  down  stern  foremost,  the  yards  being  square.  As  the 
ship  came-to,  she  took  a  sea  in  on  her  starboard  side,  which 
drove  poor  Bill  to  leeward,  under  some  water-casks  and 
boards,  beating  in  two  of  his  ribs.  Both  mates  were  injur 
ed  also,  and  were  off  duty  in  consequence  for  several  weeks. 
The  plank  sheer  was  ripped  off  the  vessel  from  aft  to  amid 
ships,  as  neatly  as  if  it  had  been  done  by  the  carpenters. 
We  could  look  down  among  the  timbers  the  same  as  if  the 
vessel  were  on  the  stocks. 

The  men  braced  up  the  after-yards,  and  then  the  ship  was 
lying-to  under  a  close-reefed  main-top-sail.  After  this,  she 
did  well  enough.  We  now  passed  the  hurt  below,  and  got 
tarred  canvass  over  the  timber-heads,  and  managed  to  keep 
out  the  water.  Next  day  we  made  sail  for  our  port.  It 
blowing  too  fresh  to  get  a  pilot,  we  ran  into  a  roadstead  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Shannon,  and  anchored  with  both  bowers. 
We  rode  out  the  gale,  and  then  went  up  to  Limerick.  Here 
all  hands  got  well,  and  returned  to  duty.  In  due  time,  wo 
sailed  for  home  in  ballast.  As  we  came  into  the  Hook,  we 
were  hailed  by  a  gun-boat,  and  heard  of  the  "  Little  Em 
bargo." 


16  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

The  question  now  came  up  seriously  between  Bill  and 
myself,  what  was  best  to  be  done.  I  was  for  going  to  Wis- 
casset,  like  two  prodigals,  own  our  fault,  and  endeavour  to 
amend.  Bill  thought  otherwise.  Now  we  were  cast  ashore, 
without  employment,  he  thought  it  more  manly  to  try  and 
shift  for  ourselves.  He  had  an  uncle  who  was  a  captain  of 
artillery,  and  who  was  then  stationed  on  Governor's  Island, 
and  we  took  him  into  our  councils.  This  gentleman  treated 
us  kindly,  and  kept  us  with  him  on  the  island  for  two  days. 
Finding  his  nephew  bent  on  doing  something  for  himself,  he 
gave  us  a  letter  to  Lt.  Trenchard,  of  the  navy,  by  whom 
we  were  both  shipped  for  the  service.  Swett  got  a  master's- 
mate's  berth,  and  I  was  offered  the  same,  but  felt  too  much 
afraid  of  myself  to  accept  it.  I  entered  the  navy,  then,  for 
the  first  time,  as  a  common  Jack. 

This  was  a  very  short  time  before  war  was  declared,  and 
a  large  flotilla  of  gun-boats  was  getting  ready  for  the  New 
York  station.  Bill  was  put  on  board  of  No.  112,  and  I  was 
ordered  to  No.  107,  Sailing-Master  Costigan.  Soon  after, 
we  were  all  employed  in  fitting  the  Essex  for  sea ;  and  while 
thus  occupied  the  Declaration  of  War  actually  arrived.  On 
this  occasion  I  got  drunk,  for  the  second  time  in  my  life.  A 
quantity  of  whiskey  was  started  into  a  tub,  and  all  hands 
drank  to  the  success  of  the  conflict.  A  little  upset  me,  then, 
nor  would  I  have  drunk  anything,  but  for  the  persuasions 
of  some  of  my  Wiscasset  acquaintances,  of  whom  there 
were  several  in  the  ship.  I  advise  all  young  men,  who  feel 
no  desire  to  drink,  to  follow  their  own  propensities,  and  not 
to  yield  themselves  up,  body  and  soul,  to  the  thoughtless 
persuasions  of  others.  There  is  no  real  good-fellowship  in 
swilling  rum  and  whiskey  ;  but  the  taste,  once  acquired,  is 
hard  to  cure.  I  never  drank  much,  as  to  quantity,  but  a 
little  filled  me  with  the  love  of  mischief,  and  that  little  served 
to  press  me  down  for  all  the  more  valuable  years  of  my  life  ; 
valuable,  as  to  the  advancement  of  my  worldly  interests, 
though  I  can  scarcely  say  I  began  really  to  live,  as  a  crea 
ture  of  God's  should  live,  to  honour  his  name  and  serve  his 
ends,  until  the  year  1839. 

After  the  Essex  was  fitted  out,  the  flotilla  cruised  in  the 
Sound,  and  was  kept  generally  on  the  look-out,  about  the 
waters  of  New  York.  Towards  the  end  of  the  season,  our 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  47 

bot.t,  with  several  others,  was  lying  abreast  of  the  Yard, 
when  orders  came  off  to  meet  the  Yard  Commander,  Cap 
tain  Chauncey,  on  the  wharf.  Here,  this  officer  addressed 
us,  and  said  he  was  about  to  proceed  to  Lake  Ontario,  to 
take  command,  and  asking  who  would  volunteer  to  go  with 
Lim.  This  was  agreeable  news  to  us,  for  we  hated  the  gun 
boats,  and  would  go  anywhere  to  be  quit  of  them.  Every 
man  and  boy  volunteered.  We  got  twenty-four  hours'  lib-' 
erty,  with  a  few  dollars  in  money,  and  when  this  scrape  was 
over  every  man  returned,  and  we  embarked  in  a  sloop  for 
Albany.  Our  draft  contained  near  140  men,  and  was  com 
manded  by  Mr.  Mix,  then  a  sailing-master,  but  who  died  a 
commander  a  few  years  since.  Messrs.  Osgood  and  Malla- 
by  were  also  with  us,  and  two  midshipmen,  viz :  Messrs. 
Sands  and  Livingston.  The  former  of  these  young  gentle 
men  is  now  a  commander,  but  I  do  not  know  what  became 
of  Mr.  Livingston.  We  had  also  two  master's-mates, 
Messrs.  Bogardus  and  Emory. 

On  reaching  Albany,  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  Governor, 
gave  him  three  cheers,  got  some  good  cheer  in  return,  and 
were  all  stowed  in  wagons,  a  mess  in  each,  before  his  door. 
We  now  took  to  our  land  tacks,  and  a  merry  time  we  hr.d 
of  it.  Our  first  day's  run  was  to  a  place  called  Schenec- 
tady,  and  here  the  officers  found  an  empty  house,  and 
berthed  us  all  together,  fastening  the  doors.  This  did  not 
suit  our  notions  of  a  land  cruise,  and  we  began  to  grumble. 
There  was  a  regular  hard  horse  of  a  boatswain's-mate  with 
us,  of  the  name  of  McNally.  This  man  had  been  in  the 
service  a  long  time,  and  was  a  thorough  man-of-war's  man. 
He  had  collected  twenty-four  of  us,  whom  he  called  his 
*  disciples,'  and  shamed  am  I  to  say,  I  was  one.  McNally 
called  all  hands  on  the  upper  deck,  as  he  called  it,  that  is  to 
say,  in  the  garret,  and  made  us  a  speech.  He  said  this  was 
no  way  to  treat  volunteers,  and  proposed  that  we  should 
"  unship  the  awning."  We  rigged  pries,  and,  first  singing 
out,  "stand  from  under,"  hove  one  half  of  the  roof  into  the 
street,  and  the  other  into  the  garden.  We  then  gave  three 
cheers  at  our  success.  The  officers  now  came  down,  and 
gave  us  a  lecture.  But  we  made  out  so  good  a  case,  that 
they  let  us  run  till  morning,  when  every  soul  was  back  and 
mustered  in  the  wagons.  In  this  way  we  went  through  the 


48  H  E  D     M  Y  E  K  S  ;     O  R  , 

country,  cracking  our  jokes,  laughing,  and  noting  all  oddi 
ties  that  crossed  our  course.  I  believe  we  were  ten  or 
twelve  days  working  our  way  through  the  state,  to  Oswego. 
At  Onondago  Lake  we  got  into  boats,  and  did  better  than  in 
the  wagons.  At  a  village  on  the  lake  shore,  the  people 
were  very  bitter  against  us,  and  we  had  some  difficulty. 
The  word  went  among  us  they  were  Scotch,  from  the  Cana- 
das,  but  of  this  I  know  nothing.  We  heard  in  the  morning, 
however,  that  most  of  our  officers  were  in  limbo,  and  we 
crossed  and  marched  up  a  hill,  intending  to  burn,  sink,  and 
destroy,  if  they  were  not  liberated.  Mischief  was  prevented 
by  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Mix,  with  the  other  gentlemen, 
and  we  pushed  off  without  coming  to  blows. 

It  came  on  to  rain  very  hard,  and  we  fetched  up  at  a  soli 
tary  house  in  the  woods,  and  tried  to  get  quarters.  These 
wore  denied  us,  and  we  were  told  to  shift  for  ourselves. 
This  we  did  in  a  large  barn,  where  we  made  good  stowage 
until  morning.  In  the  night,  we  caught  the  owner  coming 
about  with  a  lantern  to  set  fire  to  the  barn,  and  we  carried 
him  down  to  a  boat,  and  lashed  him  there  until  morning, 
letting  the  rain  wash  all  the  combustible  matter  out  of  him. 
That  day  we  reached  Oswego  Falls,  where  a  party  of  us 
were  stationed  some  time,  running  boats  over,  and  carrying 
stores  across  the  portage. 

When  everything  reached  Oswego,  all  hands  turned  to, 
to  equip  some  lake  crafl>that  had  been  bought  for  the  ser 
vice.  These  were  schooners,  salt  droggers,  of  about  sixty 
or  eighty  tons.  All  we  did  .at  Oswego,  however,  was  to 
load  these  vessels,  some  six  or  eight  in  all,  and  put  to  sea. 
I  went  off  in  one  of  the  first,  a  vessel  called  the  Fair  Ame 
rican.  Having  no  armaments,  we  sailed  in  the  night,  to 
avoid  John  Bull's  cruisers,  of  which  there  were  several  out 
at  the  time.  As  we  got  in  with  some  islands,  at  no  great 
distance  from  Sackett's  Harbour,  we  fell  in  with  the  Oneida's 
launch,  which  was  always  kept  in  the  offing  at  night,  row 
ing,  or  sailing-,  guard.  Bill  Swett  was  in  her,  and  we  then 
met  for  the  first  time  on  fresh  water.  I  now  learned  that 
Jack  Mallet  was  on  the  station,  too,  whom  I  had  not  fallen 
in  with  since  we  parted  at  Wiscasset,  more  than  three  years 
before.  A  fortnight  later  I  found  him,  acting  as  boat- 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  49 

swain  of  the  Julia,  Sailing-Master  Trant,  a  craft  I  have  every 
reason  to  remember  as  long  as  I  shall  live. 

The  day  after  I  reached  the  harbour,  I  was  ordered  on 
board  the  Scourge.  This  vessel  was  English-built,  and  had 
been  captured  before  the  war,  and  conden/ned,  for  violating 
the  revenue  laws,  under  the  name  of  the  Lord  Nelson,  by 
the  Oneida  16,  Lt.  Com.  Woolsey — the  only  cruiser  we  then 
had  on  the  lake.  This  craft  was  unfit  for  her  duty,  but  time 
pressed,  and  no  better  offered.  Bulwarks  had  been  raised 
on  her,  and  she  mounted  cjght  sixes,  in  regular  broadside. 
Her  accommodations  were  bad  enough,  and  she  was  so  ten 
der,  that  we  could  do  little  or  nothing  with  her  in  a  blow. 
It  was  often  prognosticated  that  she  would  prove  our  coffin. 
Besides  Mr.  Osgood,  who  was  put  in  command  of  this  vessel, 
we  had  Mr.  Bogardus,  and  Mr.  Livingston,  as  officers.  We 
must  have  had  about  forty-five  souls  on  board,  all  told.  We 
did  not  get  this  schooner  out  that  season,  however. 

The  commodore  arriving,  and  an  expedition  against  Kings- 
fon  being  in  the  wind,  a  party  of  us  volunteered  from  the 
Scourge,  to  go  on  board  the  Oheida.  This  was  in  Novem 
ber,  rather  a  latish  month  for  active  service  on  those  waters. 
The  brig  went  out  in  company  with  the  Conquest,  Hamilton, 
Governor  Tompkins,  Pert,  Julia,  and  Growler,  schooners. 
These  last  craft  were  all  merchantmen,  mostly  without  quar 
ters,  and  scarcely  fit  for  the  duty  on  which  they  were  em 
ployed.  The  Oneida  was  a  warm  little  brig,  of  sixteen  24 
Ib.  carronades,  but  as  dull  as  a  transport.  She  had  been 
built  to  cross  the  bars  of  the  American  harbours,  and  would 
not  travel  to  windward. 

We  went  off  the  False  Ducks,  where  we  made  the  Royal 
George,  a  ship  the  English  had  built  expressly  to  overlay 
the  Oneida,  two  or  three  years  before,  and  which  was  big 
enough  to  eat  us.  Her  officers,  however,  did  not  belong  to 
the  Royal  Navy ;  and  we  made  such  a  show  of  schooners, 
that,  though  she  had  herself  a  vessel  or  two  in  company,  she 
did  not  choose  to  wait  for  us.  We  chased  her  into  the  Bay 
of  Quinte,  and  there  we  lost  her  in  the  darkness.  Next 
morning,  however,  we  saw  her  at  anchor  in  the  channel  that 
eads  to  Kingston.  A  general  chase  now  commenced,  and 
we  ran  down  into  the  bay,  and  engaged  the  ship  and  batte 
ries,  as  close  as  we  could  well  get.  The  firing  was  sharp 
5 


50  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

on  both  sides,  and  it  lasted  a  great  while.  I  was  stationed 
at  a  gun,  as  her  second  captain,  and  was  too  busy  to  see 
much ;  but  I  know  we  kept  our  piece  speaking  as  fast  as  we 
could,  for  a  good  bit.  We  drove  the  Royal  George  from  a 
second  anchorage,  quite  up  to  a  berth  abreast  of  the  town ; 
and  it  was  said  that  her  people  actually  deserted  her,  at  one 
time.  We  gave  her  nothing  but  round-shot  from  our  gun, 
and  these  we  gave  her  with  all  our  hearts.  Whenever  we 
noticed  the  shore,  a  stand  of  grape  was  added. 

I  know  nothing  of  the  damage  done  the  enemy.  We  had 
the  best  of  it,  so  far  as  I  could  see ;  and  I  think,  if  the  wea 
ther  had  not  compelled  us  to  haul  off,  something  serious 
might  have  been  done.  As  it  was,  we  beat  out  with  flying 
colours,  and  anchored  a  few  miles  from  the  light. 

These  were  the  first  shot  I  ever  saw  fired  in  anger.  Our 
brig  had  one  man  killed  and  three  wounded,  and  she  was 
somewhat  injured  aloft.  One  shot  came  in  not  far  from  my 
gun,  and  scattered  lots  of  cat-tails,  breaking  in  the  ham 
mock-cloths.  This  was  the  nearest  chance  I  ran,  that  day  ; 
and,  on  the  whole,  I  think  we  escaped  pretty  well.  On  our 
return  to  the  harbour,  the  ten  Scourges  who  had  volun 
teered  for  the  cruise,  returned  to  their  own  schooner.  None 
of  us  were  hurt,  though  all  of  us  were  half  frozen,  the  water 
freezing  as  fast  as  it  fell. 

Shortly  after  both  sides  went  into  winter  quarters,  and 
both  sides  commenced  building.  We  launched  a  ship  called 
the  Madison,  about  this  time,  and  we  laid  the  keel  of  an 
other,  that  was  named  the  Pike.  What  John  Bull  was 
i*bout  is  more  than  I  can  say,  though  the  next  season 
showed*  he  had  not  been  idle.  The  navigation  did  not  abso 
lutely  close,  notwithstanding,  until  December. 

Our  vessels  were  moored  about  the  harbour,  and  we  were 
all  frozen  in,  as  a  matter  of  course.  Around  each  craft, 
however,  a  space  was  kept  cut,  to  form  a  sort  of  ditch,  in 
order  to  prevent  being  boarded.  Parties  were  regularly  sta 
tioned  to  defend  the  Madison,  and,  in  the  days,  we  worked 
at  her  rigging,  and  at  that  of  the  Pike,  in  gangs.  Our  lar 
board  guns  were  landed,  and  placed  in  a  block-house,  while 
he  starboard  were  kept  mounted.  My  station  was  that  of 
captain  of  one  of  the  guns  that  remained. 

The  winter  lasted  more  than  four  months,  and  we  mado 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  51 

good  times  of  it.  We  often  went  after  wood,  and  occasion 
ally  we  knocked  over  a  deer.  We  had  a  target  out  on  the 
lake,  and  this  we  practised  on,  making  ourselves  rather 
expert  cannoneers.  Now  and  then  they  rowsed  us  out  on  a 
false  alarm,  but  I  know  of  no  serious  attempt's  being  made 
by  the  enemy,  to  molest  us. 

The  lake  was  fit  to  navigate  about  the  middle  of  April. 
Somewhere  about  the  20th*  the  soldiers  began  to  embark, 
to  the  number  of  1700  men.  A  company  came  on  board 
the  Scourge,  and  they  filled  us  chock-a-block.  It  came  on 
to  blow,  and  we  were  obliged  to  keep  these  poor  fellows, 
cramped  as  we  were,  most  of  the  time  on  deck,  exposed  to 
rain  and  storm.  On  the  25th  we  got  out,  rather  a  showy 
force  altogether,  though  there  was  not  much  service  in  our 
small  craft.  We  had  a  ship,  a  brig,  and  twelve  schooners, 
fourteen  sail  in  alf.  The  next  morning  we  were  off  Little 
York,  having  sailed  with  a  fair  wind.  All  hands  anchored 
about  a  mile  from  the  beach.  I  volunteered  .o  go  in  a  boat, 
to  carry  soldiers  ashore.  Each  of  us  brought  across  the 
lake  two  of  these  boats  in  tow,  but  we  had  lost  one  of  ours, 
dragging  her  after  us  in  a  staggering  breeze.  I  got  into 
the  one  that  was  left,  and  we  put  half  our  soldiers  in  her, 
and  shoved  off.  We  had  little  or  no  order  in  landing,  each 
boat  pulling  as  hard  as  she  could.  The  English  blazed 
away  at  us,  concealed  in  a  wood,  and  our  men  fired  back 
again  from  the  boat.  I  never  was  more  disappointed  in 
men,  than  I  was  in  the  soldiers.  They  were  mostly  tall, 
pale-looking  Yankees,  half  dead  with  sickness  and  the  bad 
weather— so  mealy,  indeed,  that  half  of  them  could  not  take 
their  grog,  which,  by  this  time,  I  had  got  to  think  a  bad 
sign.  As  soon  as  they  got  near  the  enemy,  however,  they 
became  wide  awake,  pointed  out  to  each  other  where  to  aim, 
and  many  of  them  actually  jumped  into  the  water,  in  order 
to  get  the  sooner  ashore.  No  men  could  have  behaved  bet 
ter,  for  I  confess  frankly  I  did  not  like  the  work  at  all.  It 
is  no  fun  to  pull  in  under  a  sharp  fire,  with  one's  back  to 
nis  enemy,  and  nothing  but  an  oar  to  amuse  himself  with. 
The  shot  flew  pretty  thick,  and  two  of  our  oars  were  split. 
This  was  all  done  with  musketry,  no  heavy  guns  being  used 

*  22d.  — EDITOR. 


52  NED     MYERS;     OR, 

at  this  place.  I  landed  twice  in  this  way,  but  the  dangei 
was  principally  in  the  first  affair.  There  was  fighting  up 
on  the  bank,  but  it  gave  us  no  trouble.  Mr.  Livingston 
commanded  the  boat. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  schooner,  we  found  her  lifting 
her  anchors.  Several  of  the  smaller  craft  were  now  ordered 
up  the  bay,  to  open  on  the  batteries  nearer  to  the  town.  We 
were  the  third  from  the  van,  and  we  all  anchored  within 
canister  range.  We  heard  a  magazine  blow  up,  as  we  stood 
in,  and  this  brought  three  cheers  from  us.  We  now  had 
some  sharp  work  with  the  batteries,  keeping  up  a  steady  fire. 
The  schooner  ahead  of  us  had  to  cut,  and  she  shifted  her 
berth  outside  of  us.  The  leading  schooner,  however,  held 
on.  In  the  midst  of  it  all,  we  heard  cheers  down  the  line, 
and  presently  we  saw  the  commodore  pulling  in  among  us, 
in  his  gig.  He  came  on  board  us,  and  we  greeted  him  with 
three  cheers.  While  he  was  on  the  quarter-deck,  a  hot  shot 
struck  the  upper  part  of  the  after-port,  cut  all  the  boarding- 
pikes  adrift  from  the  main-boom,  and  wounded  a  man  named 
Lemuel  Bryant,  who  leaped  from  his  quarters  and  fell  at  my 
feet.  His  clothes  were  all  on  fire  when  he  fell,  and,  after 
putting  them  out,  the  commodore  himself  ordered  me  to  pass 
him  below.  The  old  man  spoke  encouragingly  to  us,  and  a 
little  thing  took  place  that  drew  his  attention  to  my  crew. 
Two  of  the  trucks  of  the  gun  we  were  fighting  had  been 
carried  away,  and  I  determined  to  shift  over  its  opposite. 
My  crew  were  five  negroes,  strapping  fellows,  and  as  strong 
as  jackasses.  The  gun  was  called  the  Black  Joke.  Shoving 
the  disabled  gun  out  of  the  way,  these  chaps  crossed  the 
deck,  unhooked  the  breechings  and  gun-tackles,  raised  the 
piece  from  the  deck,  and  placed  it  in  the  vacant  port.  The 
commodore  commended  us,  and  called  out,  "  that  is  quick 
work,  my  lads  !"  In  less  than  three  minutes,  I  am  certain, 
we  were  playing  on  the  enemy  with  the  fresh  gun. 

As  for  the  old  man,  he  pulled  through  the  fire  as  coolly 
as  if  it  were  only  a  snow-balling  scrape,  though  many  a  pooi 
fellow  lost  the  number  of  his  mess  in  the  boats  that  day 
When  he  left  us,  we  cheered  him  again.  He  had  not  left 
us  long,  before  we  heard  an  awful  explosion  on  shore.  Stones 
as  big  as  my  two  fists  fell  on  board  of  us,  though  nobody 
Was  hurt  by  them.  We  cheered,  thinking  some  dire  cala- 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST  53 

jniiy  had  befallen  the  enemy.  The  firing  ceased  soon  after 
this  explosion,  though  one  English  gun  held  on,  under  the 
bank,  for  some  little  time. 


CHAPTER    V. 

WE  did  not  know  the  cause  of  the  last  explosion,  until 
after  the  firing  ceased.  I  had  seen  an  awful  black  cloud, 
and  objects  in  the  air  that  I  took  for  men ;  but  little  did  we 
imagine  the  explosion  had  cost  us  so  dear.  Our  schooner 
lay  at  no  great  distance  from  the  common  landing,  and  no 
sooner  were  we  certain  of  the  success  of  the  day,  than  Mr. 
Osgood  ordered  his  boat's  crew  called  away,  and  he  landed. 
As  I  belonged  to  the  boat,  I  had  an  early  opportunity  of 
entering  the  town. 

We  found  the  place  deserted.  With  the  exception  of  our 
own  men,  I  found  but  one  living  being  in  it.  This  was  an 
old  woman  whom  I  discovered  stowed  away  in  a  potatoe 
locker,  in  the  government  house.  I  saw  tables  set,  and 
eggs  in  the  cups,  but  no  inhabitant.  Our  orders  were  of 
the  most  severe  kind,  not  to  plutder,  and  we  did  not  touch 
a  morsel  of  food  even.  The  liquor,  however,  was  too  much 
for  our  poor  natures,  and  a  parcel  of  us  had  broke  bulk  in 
a  better  sort  of  grocery,  when  some  officers  came  in  and 
stove  the  casks.  I  made  sail,  and  got  out  of  the  company. 
The  army  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  a  few  riflemen,  who,  being  now  at  liberty,  found 
their  way  into  the  place. 

I  ought  to  feel  ashamed,  and  do  feel  ashamed  of  what 
occurred  that  night ;  but  I  must  relate  it,  lest  I  feel  more 
ashamed  for  concealing  the  truth.  We  had  spliced  the 
main-brace  pretty  freely  throughout  the  day,  and  the  pull  I 
got  in  the  grocery  just  made  me  ripe  for  mischief.  When 
we  got  aboard  the  schooner  again,  we  found  a  canoe  that 
had  drifted  athwart-hawse  and  had  been  secured.  My 
gun's  crew,  the  Black  Jokers,  wished  to  have  some  fun  in 
the  town,  and  they  proposed  to  me  to  take  a  cruise  ashore. 
5* 


54  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

We  had  few  officers  on  board,  and  the  boatswain,  a  boat 
swain's  mate  in  fact,  consented  to  let  us  leave.  We  all 
went  ashore  in  this  canoe,  then,  and  were  soon  alongside 
of  a  wharf.  On  landing,  we  were  near  a  large  store, 
and  looking  in  at  a  window,  we  saw  a  man  sitting  asleep, 
with  a  gun  in  the  hollow  of  his  arm.  His  head  was  on  the 
counter,  and  there  was  a  lamp  burning.  One  of  the  blacks 
pitched  through  the  window,  and  was  on  him  in  a  moment. 
The  rest  followed,  and  we  made  him  a  prisoner.  The  poor 
fellow  said  he  had  come  to  look  after  his  property,  and  he 
was  told  no  one  would  hurt  him.  My  blacks  now  began  to 
look  about  them,  and  to  help  themselves  to  such  articles  as 
they  thought  they  wanted.  I  confess  I  helped  myself  to 
some  tea  and  sugar,  nor  will  I  deny  that  I  was  in  such  a 
state  as  to  think  the  whole  good  fun.  We  carried  oif  one 
canoe  load,  and  even  returned  for  a  second.  Of  course 
such  an  exploit  could  not  have  been  effected  without  letting 
all  in  the  secret  share;  and  one  boat-load  of  plunder  was 
not  enough.  The  negroes  began  to  drink,  however,  and  I 
was  sober  enough  to  see  the  consequences,  if  they  were 
left  ashore  any  longer.  Some  riflemen  came  in,  too,  and  1 
succeeded  in  getting  my  jokers  away. 

•The  recklessness  of  sailors  may  be  seen  in  our  conduct. 
All  we  received  for  our  plunder  was  some  eight  or  ten  gal 
lons  of  whiskey,  when  we  got  back  to  the  harbour,  and  this 
at  the  risk  of  being  flogged  through  the  fleet !  It  seemed  to 
us  to  be  a  scrape,  and  that  was  a  sufficient  excuse  for  diso 
beying  orders,  and  for  committing  a  crime.  For  myself,  1 
was  influenced  more  by  the  love  of  mischief,  'and  a  weak 
desire  to  have  it  said  I  was  foremost  in  such  an  exploit,  than 
from  any  mercenary  motive.  Notwithstanding  the  severity 
of  the  orders,  and  one  or  two  pretty  sharp  examples  of  pun 
ishment  inflicted  by  the  commodore,  the  Black  Jokers  were 
not  the  only  plunderers  ashore  that  night.  One  master's- 
mate  had  the  buttons  taken  off  his  coat,  for  stealing  a  feather 
bed,  besides  being  obliged  to  carry  it  back  again.  Of  course 
he  was  a  shipped  master's-mate. 

I  was  ashore  every  day  while  the  squadron  remained  in 
the  port.  Our  schooner  never  shifted  her  berth  from  the 
last  one  she  occupied  in  the  battle,  and  that  was  pretty  well 
up  the  bay.  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  gun  that  had  troubled  us 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  55 

all  so  much,  and  which  we  could  not  silence,  for  it  was 
under  a  bank,  near  the  landing-place.  It  was  a  long  French 
eighteen,  and  did  better  service,  that  day,  than  any  other 
piece  of  John  Bull's.  I  think  it  hulled  us  several  times. 

I  walked  over  the  ground  where  the  explosion  took  place. 
It  was  a  dreadful  sight ;  the  dead  being  so  mutilated  that  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  tell  their  colour.  I  saw  gun-barrels 
bent  nearly  double.  I  think  we  saw  Sir  Roger  Sheafe,  the 
British  General,  galloping  across  the  field,  by  himself,  a  few 
minutes  before  the  explosion.  At  all  events,  we  saw  a 
mounted  officer,  and  fired  at  him.  He  galloped  up  to  the 
government-house,  dismounted,  went  in,  remained  a  short 
time,  and  then  galloped  out  of  town.  All  this  I  saw  ;  and 
the  old  woman  in  the  potato-locker  told  me  the  general  had 
been  in  the  house  a  short  time  before  we  landed.  Her  account 
agreed  with  the  appearance  of  the  officer  I  saw ;  though  I 
will  not  pretend  to  be  certain  it  was  General  Sheafe. 

I  ought  to  mention  the  kindness  of  the  commodore  to  the 
poor  of  York.  As  most  of  the  inhabitants  came  back  to 
their  habitations  the  next  day,  the  poor  were  suffering  for 
food.  Our  men  were  ordered  to  roll  barrels  of  salt  meat 
and  barrels  of  bread  to  their  doors,  from  the  government 
stores  that  fell  into  our  hands.  We  captured  an  immense 
amount  of  these  stores,  a  portion  of  which  we  carried  away. 
We  sunk  many  guns  in  the  lake ;  and  as  for  the  powder, 
that  had  taken  care  of  itself.  Among  other  things  we  took, 
was  the  body  of  an  English  officer,  preserved  in  rum,  which, 
they  said,  was  General  Brock's.  I  saw  it  hoisted  out  of  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  the  man-of-war  brig  we  captured,  at 
Sackett's  Harbour,  and  saw  the  body  put  in  a  fresh  cask.  I 
am  ashamed  to  say,  that  some  of  our  men  were  inclined  to 
drink  the  old  rum. 

We  burned  a  large  corvette,  that  was  nearly  ready  for 
launching,  and  otherwise  did  the  enemy  a  good  deal  of 
harm.  The  inhabitants  that  returned  were  very  submissive, 
and  thankful  for  what  they  received.  As  for  the  man  of 
he  red  store,  I  never  saw  him  after  the  night  he  was  plun 
dered,  nor  was  anything  ever  said  of  the  scrape. 

Our  troops  had  lost  near  three  hundred  men  in  the  attack 
the  wounded  included ;  and  as  a  great  many  of  these  green 
Wallers  were  now  sick  from  exposure,  the  army  was  much 


56  NED    MYERS;   on, 

reduced  in  force.  We  took  the  troops  on  board  on  the  1st 
of  May,  but  could  not  sail,  on  account  of  a  gale,  until  the 
8th,  which  made  the  matter  worse.  Then  we  got  undei 
way,  and  crossed  the  lake,  landing  the  soldiers  a  lew  miles 
to  the  eastward  of  Fort  Niagara.  Our  schooner  now  went 
to  the  Harbour,  along  with  the  commodore,  though  some  of 
the  craft  remained  near  the  head  of  the  lake.  Here  we  took 
in  another  lot  of  soldiers,  placed  two  more  large  batteaux  in 
tow,  and  sailed  for  the  army  again.  We  had  good  passages 
both  ways,  and  this  duty  was  done  within  a  few  days.  While 
at  the  Harbour,  I  got  a  message  to  go  and  visit  Bill  Swett, 
but  the  poor  fellow  died  without  my  being  able  to  see  him. 
I  heard  he  was  hurt  at  York,  Fut  never  could  come  at  the 
truth. 

On  the  27th  May,  the  army  got  into  the  batteaux,  formed 
in  two  divisions,  and  commenced  pulling  towards  the  mouth 
of  the  Niagara.  The  morning  was  foggy,  with  a  light  wind, 
and  the  vessels  getting  under  way,  kept  company  with  the 
boats,  a  little  outside  of  them.  The  schooners  were  closest 
in,  and  some  of  them  opened  on  Fort  George,  while  others 
kept  along  the  coast,  scouring  the  shore  with  grape  and  ca 
nister  as  they  moved  ahead.  The  Scourge  came  to  an  an 
chor  a  short  distance  above  the  place  selected  for  the  landing, 
and  sprung  her  broadside  to  the  shore.  We  now  kept  up  a 
steady  fire  with  grape  and  canister,  until  the  boats  had  got 
in-shore  and  were  engaged  with  the  enemy,  when  we  threw 
round-shot,  over  the  heads  of  our  own  men,  upon  the  Eng 
lish.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Scott  was  ashore,  we  sprung  our 
broadside  upon  a  two-gun  battery  that  had  been  pretty  busy, 
and  we  silenced  that  among  us.  This  affair,  for  our  craft, 
was  nothing  like  that  of  York,  though  I  was  told  the  vessels 
nearer  the  river  had  warmer  berths  of  it.  We  had  no  one 
hurt,  though  we  were  hulled  once  or  twice.  A  little  rigging 
was  cut ;  but  we  set  this  down  as  light  work  compared  to 
what  the  old  Black  Joke  had  seen  that  day  month.  There 
was  a  little  sharp  fighting  ashore,  but  our  men  were  too 
strong  for  the  enemy,  when  they  could  fairly  get  their  feet 
on  solid  ground. 

Just  after  we  had  anchored,  Mr.  Bogardus  was  sent  aloft 
to  ascertain  if  any  enemy  were  to  be  seen.  At  first  he  found 
nobody ;  but,  after  a  little  while,  he  called  out  to  have  my 


-     A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  5? 

gun  fired  at  a  little  thicket  of  brushwood  that  lay  on  an  in 
clined  plain,  near  the  water.  Mr.  Osgood  came  and  ele 
vated  the  gun,  and  I  touched  it  off.  We  had  been  looking 
out  for  the  blink  of  muskets,  which  was  one  certain  guide  to 
find  a  soldier ;  and  the  moment  we  sent  this  grist  of  grape 
and  canister  into  those  bushes,  the  place  lighted  up  as  if  a 
thousand  muskets  were  there.  We  then  gave  the  chaps  the 
remainder  of  our  broadside.  We  peppered  that  wood  well, 
and  did  a  good  deal  of  harm  to  the  troops  stationed  at  the 
place. 

The  wind  blew  on  shore,  and  began  to  increase ;  and  the 
commodore  now  threw  out  a  signal  for  the  boats  to  land,  to 
take  care  of  the  batteaux  that  were  thumping  on  the  beach, 
and  then  for  their  crews  to  assist  in  taking  care  of  the 
wounded.  Of  course  I  went  in  my  own  boat,  Mr.  Bogardus 
having  charge  of  her.  We  left  the  schooner,  just  as  wo 
quitted  our  guns,  black  with  powder,  in  our  shirts  and  trow- 
sers,  though  we  took  the  precaution  to  carry  our  boarding- 
belts,  with  a  brace  of  pistols  each,  and  a  cutlass.  On  land 
ing,  we  first  hauled  up  the  boats,  taking  some  dead  and 
wounded  men  out  of  them,  and  laying  them  on  the  beach. 

We  were  now  ordered  to  divide  ourselves  into  groups  of 
three,  and  go  over  the  ground,  pick  up  the  wounded,  and 
carry  them  to  a  large  house  that  had  been  selected  as  a  hos 
pital.  My  party  consisted  of  Bill  Southard,  Simeon  Grant, 
and  myself,  we  being  messmates.  The  first  man  we  fell  in 
with,  was  a  young  English  soldier,  who  was  seated  on  the 
bank,  quite  near  the  lake.  He  was  badly  hurt,  and  sat 
leaning  his  head  on  his  hands.  He  begged  for  water,  and 
I  took  his  cap  down  to  the  lake  and  filled  it,  giving  him  a 
drink ;  then  washing  his  face.  This  revived  him,  and  he 
offered  us  his  canteen,  in  which  was  some  excellent  Jamaica. 
To  us  chaps,  who  got  nothing  better  than  whiskey,  this  was 
a  rare  treat,  and  we  emptied  the  remainder  of  his  half  pint, 
at  a  pull  a-piece.  After  tapping  this  rum,  we  carried  the 
poor  lad  up  to  the  house,  and  turned  him  over  to  the  doctors. 
We  found  the  rooms  filled  with  wounded  already,  and  the 
American  and  English  doctors  hard  at  work  on  them. 

As  we  left  the  hospital,  we  agreed  to  get  a  canteen  a-piece, 
tnd  go  round  among  the  dead,  and  fill  them  with  Jamaica. 
When  our  canteens  were  about  a  third  full,  we  came  upon  a 


68  NED      MYERS;      OR 

young  American  rifleman,  who  was  lying  under  an  apple 
tree.  He  was  hit  in  the  head,  and  was  in  a  very  bad  way. 
We  were  all  three  much  struck  with  the  appearance  of  this 
young  man,  and  I  now  remember  him  as  one  of  the  hand 
somest  youths  I  had  ever  seen.  His  wound  did  not  bleed, 
though  I  thought  the  brains  were  oozing  out,  and  I  felt  so 
much  sympathy  for  him,  that  I  washed  his  hurt  with  the 
rum.  I  fear  I  did  him  harm,  but  my  motive  was  good.  Bill 
Southard  ran  to  find  a  surgeon,  of  whom  several  were 
operating  out  on  the  field.  The  young  man  kept  saying 
"no  use,"  and  he  mentioned  "father  and  mother,"  "Ver 
mont."  He  even  gave  me  the  names  of  his  parents,  but  I 
was  too  much  in  the  wind,  from  the  use  of  rum,  to  remem 
ber  them.  We  might  have  been  half  an  hour  with  this 
young  rifleman,  busy  on  him  most  of  the  time,  when  he 
murmured  a  few  words,  gave  me  one  of  the  sweetest  smiles 
I  ever  saw  on  a  man's  face,  and  made  no  more  signs  of  life. 
I  kept  at  work,  notwithstanding,  until  Bill  got  back  with  the 
doctor.  The  latter  cast  an  eye  on  the  rifleman,  pronounced 
him  dead,  and  coolly  walked  away. 

There  was  a  bridge,  in  a  sort  of  a  swamp,  that  we  had 
fired  on  for  some  time,  and  we  now  moved  down  to  it,  just 
to  see  what  we  had  done.  We  found  a  good  many  dead, 
and  several  horses  in  the  mire,  but  no  wounded.  We  kept 
emptying  canteens,  as  we  went  along,  until  our  own  would 
hold  no  more.  On  our  return  from  the  bridge,  we  went  to 
a  brook  in  order  to  mix  some  grog,  and  then  we  got  a  full 
view  of  the  offing.  Not  a  craft  was  to  be  seen  !  Every 
thing  had  weighed  and  disappeared.  This  discovery  knocked 
us  all  a-back,  and  we  were  quite  at  a  loss  how  to  pro 
ceed.  We  agreed,  however,  to  pass  through  a  bit  of  woods, 
and  gel  into  the  town,  it  being  now  quite  late  in  the  day. 
There  we  knew  we  should  find  the  army,  and  might  get 
tidings  of  the  fleet.  The  battle-ground  was  now  nearly  de 
serted,  and  to  own  the  truth  we  were,  all  three,  at  least  two 
sheets  in  the  wind.  Still  I  remember  everything,  for  my 
stomach  would  never  allow  me  to  get  beastly  drunk ;  it  re 
jecting  any  very  great  quantity  of  liquor.  As  we  went 
through  the  wood,  open  pine  trees,  we  came  across  an  offi 
cer  lying  dead,  with  one  leg  over  his  horse,  which  was  dead 
also.  I  went  up  to  the  body,  turned  it  over,  and  examined 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  59 

it  for  a  canteen,  but  found  none.     We  made  a  few  idle  re 
marks,  and  proceeded. 

In  quitting  the  place,  I  led  the  party ;  and,  as  we  went 
through  a  little  thicket,  I  heard  female  voices.  This  startled 
me  a  little ;  and,  on  looking  round,  I  saw  a  white  female 
dress,  belonging  to  a  person  who  was  evidently  endeavour 
ing  to  conceal  herself  from  us.  I  was  now  alone,  and  walked 
up  to  the  women,  when  I  found  two ;  one,  a  lady,  in  dress* 
and  manner,  and  the  other  a  person  that  I  have  always  sup 
posed  was  her  servant.  The  first  was  in  white ;  the  last  in 
a  dark  calico.  They  were  both  under  thirty,  judging  from 
their  looks ;  and  the  lady  was  exceedingly  well-looking. 
They  were  much  alarmed ;  and,  as  I  came  up,  the  lady 
asked  me  if  I  would  hurt  her.  I  told  her  no ;  and  that  no 
person  should  harm  her,  while  she  remained  with  us.  This 
relieved  her,  and  she  was  able  to  give  an  account  of  he 
errand  on  the  field  of  battle.  Our  looks,  half  intoxicated, 
and  begrimed  with  the  smoke  of  a  battle,  as  we  were, 
certainly  were  enough  to  alarm  her ;  but  I  do  not  think  one 
of  the  three  would  have  hesitated  about  fighting  for  a  female, 
that  they  thus  found  weeping,  in  this  manner,  in  the  open 
field.  The  maid  was  crying  also.  Simeon  Grant,  and 
Southard,  did  make  use  of  some  improper  language,  at  first ; 
but  I  brought  them  up,  and  they  said  they  were  sorry,  and 
would  go  all  lengths,  with  me,  to  protect  the  women.  The 
fact  was,  these  men  supposed  we  had  fallen  in  with  common 
camp  followers ;  but  I  had  seen  too  much  of  officers'  wives, 
in  my  boyhood,  not  to  know  that  this  was  one. 

The  lady  then  told  her  story.  She  had  just  come  from 
Kingston,  to  join  her  husband  ;  having  arrived  but  a  few 
hours  before.  She  did  not  see  her  husband,  but  she  had 
heard  he  was  left  wounded  on  the  field ;  and  she  had  come 
out  in  the  hope  of  finding  him.  She  then  described  him,  as 
an  officer  mounted,  with  a  particular  dress,  and  inquired  if 
we  had  met  with  any  such  person,  on  the  field.  We  told 
ner  of  the  horseman  we  had  just  left  ;  and  led  her  back  to 
the  spot.  The  moment  the  lady  saw  the  body,  she  threw 
herself  on  it,  and  began  to  weep  and  mourn  over  it,  in  a  very 
touching  manner.  The  maid,  too,  was  almost  as  bad  as 
the  mistress.  We  were  all  so  much  affected,  in  spite  of  the 
rum,  that,  I  believe,  all  three  of  us  shed  tears.  We  said  all 


60  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

we  could,  10  console  her,  and  swore  we  would  stand  by  her 
until  she  was  safe  back  among  her  friends. 

It  was  a  good  bit  before  we*could  persuade  the  lady  to 
quit  her  husband's  body.  She  took  a  miniature  from  his 
neck,  and  I  drew  his  purse  and  watch  from  him  and  handed 
them  to  her.  She  wanted  me  to  keep  the  purse,  but  this  we 
all  three  refused,  up  and  down.  We  had  hauled  our  manly 
tacks  aboard,  and  had  no  thoughts  of  plunder.  Even  the 
maid  urged  us  to  keep  the  money,  but  we  would  have  no 
thing  to  do  with  it.  I  shall  freely  own  my  faults ;  I  hope  I 
shall  be  believed  when  I  relate  facts  that  show  I  am  not 
altogether  without  proper  feelings. 

The  officer  had  been  hit  somewhere  about  the  hip,  and 
the  horse  must  have  been  killed  by  another  grape-shot,  fired 
from  the  same  gun.  We  laid  the  body  of  the  first  over  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  get  a  good  look  at  him,  but  we  did  not 
draw  the  leg  from  under  the  horse.* 

When  we  succeeded  in  persuading  the  lady  to  quit  her 
husband's  body,  we  shaped  our  course  for  the  light-house. 
Glad  were  we  three  tars  to  see  the  mast-heads  of  the  ship- 

*  When  Myers  related  this  circumstance,  I  remembered  that  a  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Meyers  had  been  killed  in  the  affair  at  Fort  George, 
something  in  the  way  here  mentioned.  On  consulting  the  American 
official  account,  I  found  that  my  recollection  was  just,  so  far  as  this— 
a  Lieutenant-Colonel  Meyers  was  reported  as  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner.  I  then  recollected  to  have  been  present  at  a  conversation 
between  Major-General  Lewis  and  Major  Baker,  his  adjutant-general, 
shortly  after  the  battle,  in  which  the  question  arose  whether  the  same 
shot  had  killed  Colonel  Meyers  that  killed  his  horse.  General  Lewis 
thought  not ;  Major  Baker  thought  it  had.  On  my  referring  to  the 
official  account  as  reporting  this  gentleman  to  have  been  only  wound 
ed,  I  was  told  it  was  a  mistake,  he  having  been  killed.  Now  for  the 
probabilities.  Both  Ned  and  his  sister  understand  that  their  father 
was  slain  in  battle,  about  this  time.  Ned  thought  this  occurred  at 
Waterloo,  but  the  sister  thinks  not.  Neither  knew  anything  of  the 
object  of  my  inquiry.  The  sister  says  letters  were  received  from  Que 
bec  in  relation  to  the  father's  personal  effects.  It  would  be  a  strange 
thing,  if  Ned  had  actually  found  his  own  father's  body  on  the  field, 
in  this  extraordinary  manner  !  I  pretend  not  to  say  it  is  so  ;  but  it 
must  be  allowed  it  looks  very  much  like  it.  The  lady  may  have  been 
a  wife,  married  between  the  years  1796  and  1813,  when  Mr.  Meyers 
had  got  higher  rank.  This  occurrence  was  related  by  Ned  without 
the  slightest  notion  of  the  inference  that  1  have  here  drawn. — EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  61 

ping  in  the  river,  as  we  came  near  the  banks  of  the  Niagara. 
The  house  at  the  light  was  empty  ;  but,  on  my  hailing,  a  wo 
man's  voice  answered  from  the  cellar.  It  was  an  old  wo 
man  who  had  taken  shelter  from  shot  down  in  the  hold,  the 
rest  of  the  family  having  slipped  and  run.  We  now  got 
some  milk  for  the  lady,  who  continued  in  tears  most  of  the 
time.  Sometimes  she  would  knock  off  crying  for  a  bit, 
when  she  seemed  to  have  some  distrust  of  us ;  but,  on  the 
whole,  we  made  very  good  weather  in  company.  After 
staying  about  half  an  hour  at  the  light-house,  we  left  it  for 
the  town,  my  advice  to  the  lady  being  to  put  herself  under 
the  protection  of  some  of  our  officers.  I  told  her  if  the 
news  of  what  had  happened  reached  the  commodore,  she 
might  depend  on  her  husband's  being  buried  with  the  honours 
of  war,  and  said  such  other  things  to  comfort  her  as  came 
to  the  mind  of  a  man  who  had  been  sailing  so  near  the 
wind. 

I  forgot  to  relate  one  part  of  the  adventure.  Before  we 
had  got  fairly  clear  of  the  woods,  we  fell  in  with  four  of 
Forsyth's  men,  notoriously  the  wickedest  corps  in  the  army. 
These  fellows  began  to  crack  their  jokes  at  the  expense  of 
the  two  females,  and  we  came  near  having  a  brush  with 
them.  When  we  spoke  of  our  pistols,  and  of  our  determi 
nation  to  use  them,  before  we  would  let  our  convoy  come 
to  harm,  these  chaps  laughed  at  our  pop-guns,  and  told  us 
they  had  such  things  as  *  rifles.'  This  was  true  enough, 
and  had  we  come  to  broadsides,  I  make  no  doubt  they 
would  have  knocked  us  over  like  so  many  snipes.  I  began 
to  reason  with  them,  on  the  impropriety  of  offending  re- 
soectable  females ;  and  one  of  the  fellows,  who  was  a  kind  of 
a  corporal,  or  something  of  that  sort,  shook  my  hand,  said 
I  was  right,  and  offered  to  be  friends.  So  we  spliced  the 
main-brace,  and  parted.  Glad  enough  was  the  lady  to  be 
rid  of  them  so  easily.  In  these  squalls  she  would  bring  up 
in  her  tears,  and  then  when  all  went  smooth  again,  she 
would  break  out  afresh. 

After  quitting  the  light,  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  for 

the  town.     Just  as  we  reached  it,  we  fell  in  with  a  party  of 

soldier-officers,  and  we  turned  the  lady  and  her  woman  over 

to  their  care.     These  gentlemen  said  a  good  word  in  our 

6 


62  NED     MYERS;    OR, 

favour,  and  here  we  parted  company  with  our  convoy,  I 
never  hearing,  or  seeing,  anything  of  either  afterwards. 

By  this  time  it  was  near  dark,  and  Bill  Southard  and  * 
tegan  to  look  out  for  the  Jjpourge.  She  was  anchored  in 
the  river,  with  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  and  we  went  down  upon 
a  wharf  to  make  a  signal  for  a  boat.  On  the  way  we  saw 
a  woman  crying  before  a  watch-maker's  shop,  and  a  party 
of  Forsyth's  close  by.  On  enquiry,  we  learned  these  fel 
lows  had  threatened  to  rob  her  shop.  We  had  been  such 
defenders  of  the  sex,  that  we  could  not  think  of  deserting 
this  woman,  and  we  swore  we  would  stand  by  her,  too. 
We  should  have  had  a  skirmish  here,  I  do  believe,  had  not 
one  or  two  rifle  officers  hove  in  sight,  when  the  whole  party 
made  sail  from  us.  We  turned  the  woman  over  to  these 
gentlemen,  who  said,  "  ay,  there  are  some  of  our  vagabonds, 
again."  One  of  them  said  it  would  be  better  to  call  in  their 
parties,  and  before  we  reached  the  water  we  heard  the  bu 
gle  sounding  the  recall. 

They  had  given  us  up  on  board  the  schooner.  A  repon 
of  some  Indians  being  out  had  reached  her,  and  we  three 
were  set  down  as  scalped.  Thank  God,  I've  got  all  the 
hair  on  my  head  yet,  and  battered  as  my  old  hulk  has  got 
to  be,  and  shattered  as  are  my  timbers,  it  is  as  black  as  a 
raven's  wing  at  this  moment.  This,  my  old  ship-mate,  who 
is  logging  this  yarn,  says  he  thinks  is  a  proof  my  mother 
was  a  French  Canadian,  though  such  is  not  the  fact,  as  it 
has  been  told  to  me. 

Those  riflemen  were  regular  scamps.  Just  before  we 
went  down  to  the  wharf,  we  saw  one  walking  sentinel  be 
fore  the  door  of  a  sort  of  barracks.  On  drawing  near  and 
asking  what  was  going  on  inside,  we  were  told  we  had  no 
thing  to  do  with  their  fun  ashore,  that  we  might  look  in  at  a 
window,  however,  but  should  not  go  in.  We  took  him  at 
his  word;  a  merry  scene  it  was  inside.  The  English  offi 
cers'  dunnage  had  been  broken  into,  and  there  was  a  party 
of  the  corps  strutting  about  in  uniform  coats  and  feathers. 
We  thought  it  best  to  give  these  dare-devils  a  berth,  and  so 
we  left  them.  One  was  never  safe  with  them  on  the  field 
of  battle,  friend  or  enemy. 

We  met  a  large  party  of  marines  on  the  wharf,  inarching 
up  under  Major  Smith.  They  were  going  to  protect  the 


A    LIFE     BFORE    THE    MAST.  63 

people  of  the  town  from  further  mischief.  Mr.  Osgood  was 
glad  enough  to  see  us,  and  we  got  plenty  of  praise  for  what 
we  had  done  with  the  women.  As  for  the  canteens,  we  had 
to  empty  them,  after  treating  the  crew  of  the  boa*  hat  was 
sent  to  take  us  off.  I  did  not  enter  the  town  after  that 
night. 

We  lay  some  time  in  the  Niagara,  the  commodo/e  going 
to  the  harbour  to  get  the  Pike  ready.  Captain  Crane  took 
the  rest  of  us  off  Kingston,  where  we  were  joined  by  the 
commodore,  and  made  sail  again  for  the  Niagara.  Here 
Colonel  Scott  embarked  with  a  body  of  troops,  and  we  went 
to  Burlington  Bay  to  carry  the  heights.  They  were  found 
to  be  too  strong ;  and  the  men,  after  landing,  returned  to  the 
vessels.  We  then  went  to  York,  again,  and  took  possession 
of  the  place  a  second  time.  Here  we  destroyed  several 
boats,  and  stores,  set  fire  to  the  barracks,  and  did  the  enemy 
a  good  deal  of  damage  otherwise ;  after  which  we  left  the 
place.  Two  or  three  days  later  we  crossed  the  lake  and 
landed  the  soldiers,  again,  at  Fort  Niagara. 

Early  in  August,  while  we  were  still  in  the  river,  Sir 
James  Yeo  hove  in  sight  with  two  ships,  two  brigs,  and  two 
schooners.  WTe  had  thirteen  sail  in  all,  such  as  they  were, 
and  immediately  got  under  way,  and  manoeuvred  for  the 
weather-gauge.  All  the  enemy's  vessels  had  regular  quar 
ters,  and  the  ships  were  stout  craft.  Our  squadron  sailed 
very  unequally,  some  being  pretty  fast,  and  others  as  dull 
as  droggers.  Nor  were  we  more  than  half  fitted  out.  On 
board  the  Scourge  the  only  square-sail  we  had,  was  made 
out  of  an  English  marquee  we  had  laid  our  hands  on  at 
York,  the  first  time  we  were  there.  I  ought  to  say,  too, 
that  we  got  two  small  brass  guns  at  York,  four-pounders,  I 
believe,  which  Mr.  Osgood  clapped  into  our  two  spare  ports 
forward.  This  gave  us  ten  guns  in  all,  sixes  and  fours. 
I  remember  that  Jack  Mallet  laughed  at  us  heartily  for  the 
fuss  we  made  with  our  pop-guns,  as  he  called  them,  while 
we  were  working  upon  the  English  batteries,  saying  we 
might  just  as  well  have  spared  our  powder,  as  for  any  good 
we  did.  He  belonged  to  the  Julia,  which  had  a  long  thirty- 
two,  forward,  which  they  called  the  "  Old  Sow,"  and  one 
smart  eighteen  aft.  She  had  two  sixes  in  her  waist,  also ; 
but  they  disdained  to  use  them. 


64  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

While  we  were  up  at  the  harbour,  the  last  time,  Mr.  Mix 
who  had  married  a  sister  of  Mr.  Osgood,  took  a  party  of  U3 
in  a  boat,  and  we  went  up  Black  River,  shooting.  The  two 
gentlemen  landed,  and  as  we  were  coming  down  the  river, 
we  saw  something  swimming,  which  proved  to  be  a  bear. 
We  had  no  arms,  but  we  pulled  over  the  beast,  and  had  a 
regular  squaw-fight  with  him.  We  were  an  hour  at  work 
with  this  animal,  the  fellow  coming  very  near  mastering  us. 
I  struck  at  his  nose  with  an  iron  tiller  fifty  times,  but  he 
warded  the  blow  like  a  boxer.  He  broke  our  boat-hook, 
and  once  or  twice,  he  came  near  boarding  us.  At  length  a 
wood-boat  gave  us  an  axe,  and  with  this  we  killed  him. 
Mr.  Osgood  had  this  bear  skinned,  and  said  he  should  send 
the  skin  to  his  family.  If  he  did,  it  must  have  been  one  of 
the  last  memorials  it  ever  got  from  him. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

I  LEFT  the  two  fleets  manoeuvring  for  the  wind,  in  the 
last  chapter.  About  nine  o'clock,  the  Pike  got  abeam  of  the 
Wolfe,  Sir  James  Yeo's  own  ship,  hoisted  her  ensign,  and 
fired  a  few  guns  to  try  the  range  of  her  shot.  The  distance 
was  too  great  to  engage.  At  this  time  our  sternmost  vessels 
were  two  leagues  off,  and  the  commodore  wore  round,  and 
hauled  up  on  the  other  tack.  The  enemy  did  the  same 
but,  perceiving  that  our  leading  ships  were  likely  to  weather 
on  him,  he  tacked,  and  hauled  off  to  the  northward.  We 
stood  on  in  pursuit,  tacking  too;  but  the  wind  soon  fell, and 
about  sunset  it  was  quite  calm. 

Throughout  the  day,  the  Scourge  had  as  much  as  she 
could  do  to  keep  anywhere  near  her  station.  As  for  the  old 
Oneida,  she  could  not  be  kept  within  a  long  distance  of  her 
proper  berth.  We  were  sweeping,  at  odd  times,  for  hours 
that  day.  Towards  evening,  all  the  light  craft  were  doing 
the  same,  to  close  with  the  commodore.  Our  object  was  to 
get  together,  lest  the  enemy  should  cut  off  some  of  our  small 
vessels  during  the  night. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  65 

Before  dark  the  whole  line  was  formed  again,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Oneida,  which  was  still  astern,  towing. 
She  ought  to  have  been  near  the  commodore,  but  could  not 
get  there.  A  little  before  sunset,  Mr.  Osgood  ordered  us  to 
pull  in  our  sweeps,  and  to  take  a  spell.  It  was  a  lovely 
evening,  not  a  cloud  visible,  and  the  lake  being  as  smooth 
as  a  looking-glass.  The  English  fleet  was  but  a  short  dis 
tance  to  the  northward  of  us;  so  near,  indeed,  that  we  could 
almost  count  their  ports.  They  were  becalmed,  like  our 
selves,  and  a  little  scattered. 

We  took  in  our  sweeps  as  ordered,  laying  them  athwart 
the  deck,  in  readiness  to  be  used  when  wanted.  The  vessels 
ahead  and  astern  of  us  were,  generally,  within  speaking  dis 
tance.  Just  as  the  sun  went  below  the  horizon,  George 
Turnblatt,  a  Swede,  who  was  our  gunner,  came  to  me,  and 
said  he  thought  we  ought  to  secure  our  guns ;  for  we  had 
been  cleared  for  action  all  day,  and  the  crew  at  quarters. 
We  were  still  at  quarters,  in  name ;  but  the  petty  officers 
were  allowed  to  move  about,  and  as  much  license  was  given 
to  the  people  as  was  wanted.  I  answered  that  I  would  gladly 
secure  mine  if  he  would  get  an  order  for  it ;  but  as  we  were 
still  at  quarters,  and  there  lay  John  Bull,  we  might  get  a 
slap  at  him  in  the  night.  On  this  the  gunner  said  he  would 
go  aft,  and  speak  to  Mr.  Osgood  on  the  subject.  He  did  so, 
but  met  the  captain  (as  we  always  called  Mr.  Osgood)  at  the 
break  of  the  quarter-deck.  When  George  had  told  his 
errand,  the  captain  looked  at  the  heavens,  and  remarked 
that  the  night  was  so  calm,  there  could  be  no  great  use  in 
securing  the  guns,  and  the  English  were  so  near  we  should 
certainly  engage,  if  there  came  a  breeze ;  that  the  men 
would  sleep  at  their  quarters,  of  course,  and  would  be  ready 
to  take  care  of  their  guns ;  but  that  he  might  catch  a  turn 
with  the  side-tackle-falls  around  the  pommelions  of  the  guns, 
which  would  be  sufficient.  He  then  ordered  the  boatswain 
to  call  all  hands  aft,  to  the  break  of  the  quarter-deck. 

As  soon  as  the  people  had  collected,  Mr.  Osgood  said— 
'l  You  must  be  pretty  well  fagged  out,  men  ;  I  think  we  may 
have  a  hard  night's  work,  yet,  and  I  wish  you  to  get  your 
suppers,  and  then  catch  as  much  sleep  as  you  can,  at  your 
gjns."  He  then  ordered  the  purser's  steward  to  splice  the 
jnain-brace.  These  were  the  last  words  I  ever  heard  from 
6* 


66  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

Mr.  Osgood.  As  soon  as  he  gave  the  order,  he  went  below 
leaving  the  deck  in  charge  of  Mr.  Bogardus.  All  our  old 
crew  were  on  board  but  Mr.  Livingston,  who  had  left  us, 
and  Simeon  Grant,  one  of  my  companions  in  the  cruise  over 
the  battle-ground  at  Fort  George.  Grant  had  cut  his  hand 
off,  in  a  saw-mill,  while  we  were  last  at  the  Harbour,  and 
had  been  left  behind  in  the  hospital.  There  was  a  pilot  on 
board,  who  used  to  keep  a  look-out  occasionally,  and  some 
times  the  boatswain  had  the  watch. 

The  schooner,  at  this  time,  was  under  her  mainsail,  jib, 
and  fore-top-sail.  The  foresail  was  brailed,  and  the  foot 
stopped,  and  the  flying-jib  was  stowed.  None  of  the  hal 
yards  were  racked,  nor  sheets  stoppered.  This  was  a  pre 
caution  we  always  took,  on  account  of  the  craft's  being  so 
tender. 

We  first  spliced  the  main-brace  and  then  got  our  suppers, 
eating  between  the  guns,  where  we  generally  messed,  indeed. 
One  of  my  messmates,  Tom  Goldsmith,  was  captain  of  the 
gun  next  to  me,  and  as  we  sat  there  finishing  our  suppers,  I 
says  to  him,  "  Tom,  bring  up  that  rug  that  you  pinned  at 
Little  York,  and  that  will  do  for  both  of  us  to  stow  our 
selves  away  under."  Tom  went  down  and  got  the  rug, 
which  was  an  article  for  the  camp  that  he  had  laid  hands 
on,  and  it  made  us  a  capital  bed-quilt.  As  all  hands  were 
pretty  well  tired,  we  lay  down,  with  our  heads  on  shot- 
boxes,  and  soon  went  to  sleep. 

In  speaking  of  the  canvass  that  was  set,  I  ought  to  have 
said  something  of  the  state  of  our  decks.  The  guns  had 
the  side-tackles  fastened  as  I  have  mentioned.  There  was 
a  box  of  canister,  and  another  of  grape,  at  each  gun,  be 
sides  extra  stands  of  both,  under  the  shot-racks.  There 
was  also  one  grummet  of  round-shot,  at  every  gun,  besides 
the  racks  being  filled.  Each  gun's  crew  slept  at  the  gun 
and  its  opposite,  thus  dividing  the  people  pretty  equally  on 
both  sides  of  the  deck.  Those  who  were  stationed  below, 
slept  below.  I  think  it  probable  that,  as  the  night  grew 
cool,  as  it  always  does  on  the  fresh  waters,  some  of  the  men 
stole  below  to  get  warmer  berths.  This  was  easily  done  in 
that  craft,  as  we  had  but  two  regular  officers  on  board,  the 
acting  boatswain  and  gunner  being  little  more  than  two  ot' 
ourselves. 


ALIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  67 

I  was  soon  asleep,  as  sound  as  if  lying  in  the  bed  of  a 
king.  How  long  my  nap  lasted,  or  what  took  place  in  the 
interval,  I  cannot  say.  1  awoke,  however,  in  consequence 
of  large  drops  of  rain  falling  on  my  face.  Tom  Goldsmith 
awoke  at  the  same  moment.  When  I  opened  my  eyes,  it 
was  so  dark  I  could  not  see  the  length  of  the  deck.  I  arose 
and  spoke  to  Tom,  telling  him  it  was  about  to  rain,  and  that 
I  meant  to  go  down  and  get  a  nip,  out  of  a  little  stuff  we 
kept  in  our  mess-chest,  and  that  I  would  bring  up  the  bottle 
if  he  wanted  a  taste.  Tom  answered,  "  this  is  nothing ; 
we  're  neither  pepper  nor  salt."  One  of  the  black  men 
spoke,  and  asked  me  to  bring  up  the  bottle,  and  give  him  a 
nip,  too.  All  this  took  half  a  minute,  perhaps.  I  now  re 
member  to  have  heard  a  strange  rushing  noise  to  windward 
as  I  went  towards  the  forward  hatch,  though  it  made  no 
impression  on  me  at  the  time.  We  had  been  lying  between 
the  starboard  guns,  which  was  the  weather  side  of  the  ves 
sel,  if  there  were  any  weather  side  to  it,  there  not  being  a 
breath  of  air,  and  no  motion  to  the  water,  and  I  passed 
round  to  the  larboard  side,  in  order  to  find  the  ladder,  which 
led  up  in  that  direction.  The  hatch  was  so  small  that  two 
men  could  not  pass  at  a  time,  and  I  felt  my  way  to  it,  in  no 
haste.  One  hand  was  on  the  bitts,  and  a  foot  was  on  the 
ladder,  when  a  flash  of  lightning  almost  blinded  me.  The 
thunder  came  at  the  next  instant,  and  with  it  a  rushing  of 
winds  that  fairly  smothered  the  clap. 

The  instant  I  was  aware  there  was  a  squall,  I  sprang  for 
the  jib-sheet.  Being  captain  of  the  forecastle,  I  knew  where 
to  find  it,  and-  throw  it  loose  at  a  jerk.  In  doing  this,  I 
jumped  on  a  man  named  Leonard  Lewis,  and  called  on  him 
to  lend  me  a  hand.  I  next  let  fly  the  larboard,  or  lee  top 
sail-sheet,  got  hold  of  the  clew-line,  and,  assisted  by  Lewis, 
got  the  clew  half  up.  All  this  time  I  kept  shouting  to  the 
man  at  the  wheel  to  put  his  helm  "hard  down."  The  water 
was  now  up  to  my  breast,  and  I  knew  the  schooner  must  go 
over.  Lewis  had  not  said  a  word,  but  I  called  out  to  him  to 
shift  for  himself,  and  belaying  the  clew-line,  in  hauling  myself 
forward  of  the  foremast,  I  received  a  blow  from  the  jib-sheet 
that  came  near  breaking  my  left  arm.  I  did  not  feel  the 
effect  of  this  blow  at  the  time,  though  thie  arm  has  since 


I 


68  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

been  operated  on,  to  extract  a  tumour  produced  by  this  very 
injury. 

All  this  occupied  less  than  a  minute.  The  Hashes  of 
lightning  were  incessant,  and  nearly  blinded  me.  Our  decks 
seemed  on  fire,  and  yet  I  could  see  nothing.  I  heard  no 
hail,  no  order,  no  call ;  but  the  schooner  was  filled  with 
the  shrieks  and  cries  of  the  men  to  leeward,  who  were  lying 
jammed  under  the  guns,  shot-boxes,  shot,  and  other  heavy 
things  that  had  gone  down  as  the  vessel  fell  over.  The 
starboard  second  gun,  from  forward,  had  capsized,  and  come 
down  directly  over  the  forward  hatch,  and  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  man  struggling  to  get  past  it.  Apprehension  of  this 
gun  had  induced  me  to  drag  myself  forward  of  the  mast, 
where  I  received  the  blow  mentioned. 

I  succeeded  in  hauling  myself  up  to  windward,  and  ia 
getting  into  the  schooner's  fore-channels.     Here  I  met  Wil 
liam  Deer,  the  boatswain,  and  a  black  boy  of  the  name  of 
Philips,  who  was  the  powder-boy  of  our  gun.     "  Deer,  she's 
gone !"  I  said.     The  boatswain  made  no  answer,  but  walked 
out  on  the  fore-rigging,  towards  the  mast-head.     He  proba 
bly  had  some  vague  notion  that  the  schooner's  masts  would 
be  out  of  water  if  she  went  down,  and  took  this  course  as 
the  safest.    The  boy  was  in  the  chains  the  last  I  saw  of  him. 
I  now  crawled  aft,  on  the  upper  side  of  the  bulwarks, 
amid  a  most  awful  and  infernal  din  of  thunder,  and  shrieks, 
and  dazzling  flashes  of  lightning ;  the  wind  blowing  all  the 
while  like  a  tornado.     When  I  reached  the  port  of  my  own 
gun,  I  put  a  foot  in,  thinking  to  step  on  the  muzzle  of  the 
piece ;  but  it  had  gone  to  leeward  with  all  the  rest,  and  1 
fell  through  the  port,  until  I  brought  up  with  my  arms.     I 
struggled  up  again,  and  continued  working  my  way  aft.    As 
I  got  abreast  of  the  main-mast,  I  saw  some  one  had  let  run 
the  halyards.     I  soon  reached  the  beckets  of  the  sweeps, 
and  found  four  in  them.     I  could  not  swim  a  stroke,  and  it 
crossed  my  mind  to  get  one  of  the  sweeps  to  keep  me  afloat. 
In  striving  to  jerk  the  becket  clear,  it  parted,  and  the  forward 
ends  of  the  four  sweeps  rolled  down  the  schooner's  side 
into  the  water.     This  caused  the  other  ends  to  slide,  and  all 
the  sweeps  got  away  from  me.     I  then  crawled  quite  aft,  as 
far  as  the  fashion-piece.     The  water  was  pouring  down  the 


A     LIFEBEFORE     THE     MAST.  69 

cabin  companion-way  like  a  sluice ;  and  as  I  stood,  for  an 
instant,  on  the  fashion-piece,  I  saw  Mr.  Osgood,  with  his 
head  and  part  of  his  shoulders  through  one  of  the  cabin 
windows,  struggling  to  get  out.  He  must  have  been  within 
six  feet  of  me.  I  saw  him  but  a  moment,  by  means  of  a 
flash  of  lightning,  and  I  think  he  must  have  seen  me.  At 
the  same  time,  there  was  a  man  visible  on  the  end  of  the 
main-boom,  holding  on  by  the  clew  of  the  sail.  I  do  not 
know  who  it  was.  This  man  probably  saw  me,  and  that  I 
was  about  to  spring;  for  he  called  out,  "Don't  jump  over 
board  ! — don't  jump  overboard  !  The  schooner  is  righting." 

I  was  not  in  a  state  of  mind  to  reflect  much  on  anything. 
I  do  not  think  more  than  three  or  four  minutes,  if  as  many, 
had  passed  since  the  squall  struck  us,  and  there  I  was  stand 
ing  on  the  vessel's  quarter,  led  by  Providence  more  than 
by  any  discretion  of  my  own.  It  now  came  across  me  that 
if  the  schooner  should  right  she  was  filled,  and  must  go 
down,  and  that  she  might  carry  me  with  her  in  the  suction. 
I  made  a  spring,  therefore,  and  fell  into  the  water  several 
feet  from  the  place  where  I  had  stood.  It  is  my  opinion  the 
schooner  sunk  as  I  left  her.  I  went  down  some  distance 
myself,  and  when  I  came  up  to  the  surface,  I  began  to  swim 
vigorously  for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  I  think  I  swam 
several  yards,  but  of  course  will  not  pretend  to  be  certain 
of  such  a  thing,  at  such  a  moment,  until  I  felt  my  hand  hit 
something  hard.  I  made  another  stroke,  and  felt  my  hand 
pass  down  the  side  of  an  object  that  I  knew  at  once  was  a 
clincher-built  boat.  I  belonged  to  this  boat,  and  I  now 
recollected  that  she  had  been  towing  astern.  Until  that 
instant  I  had  not  thought  of  her,  but  thus  was  I  led  in  the 
dark  to  the  best  possible  means  of  saving  my  life.  I  made 
a  grab  at  the  gunwale,  and  caught  it  in  the  stern-sheets. 
Had  I  swum  another  yard,  I  should  have  passed  the  boat, 
and  missed  her  altogether !  I  got  in  without  any  difficulty, 
being  all  alive  and  much  excited. 

My  first  look  was  for  the  schooner.  She  had  disappeared, 
and  I  supposed  she  was  just  settling  under  water.  It  rained 
as  if  the  flood-gates  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  it  lightened 
awfully.  It  did  not  seem  to  me  that  there  was  a  breath  of 
air,  and  the  water  was  unruffled,  the  effects  of  the  rain  ex- 
cept^d.  All  this  I  saw,  as  it  might  be,  at  a  glance.  But 


70  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

my  chief  concern  was  to  preserve  my  own  life.  I 
cockswain  of  this  very  boat,  and  had  made  it  fast  to  tho 
taffrail  that  same  afternoon,  with  a  round  turn  and  two  half- 
hitches,  by  its  best  painter.  Of  course  I  expected  the  vessel 
would  drag  the  boat  down  with  her,  for  I  had  no  knife  to 
cut  the  painter.  There  was  a  gang-board  in  the  boat,  how- 
ever,  which  lay  fore  and  aft,  and  I  thought  this  might  keep 
me  afloat  until  some  of  the  fleet  should  pick  me  up.  To 
clear  this  gang- board,  then,  and  get  it  into  the  water,  was 
my  first  object.  I  ran  forward  to  throw  off  the  lazy-painter 
that  was  coiled  on  its  end,  and  in  doing  this  I  caught  the 
boat's  painter  in  my  hand,  by  accident.  A  pull  satisfied  me 
that  it  was  all  clear !  Some  one  on  board  must  have  cast 
off  this  painter,  and  then  lost  his  chance  of  getting  into  the 
boat  by  an  accident.  At  all  events,  I  was  safe,  and  I  now 
dared  to  look  about  me. 

My  only  chance  of  seeing,  was  during  the  flashes ;  and 
these  left  me  almost  blind.  1  had  thrown  the  gang-board 
into  the  water,  and  I  now  called  out  to  encourage  the  men, 
telling  them  I  was  in  the  boat.  I  could  hear  many  around 
me,  and,  occasionally,  I  saw  the  heads  of  men,  struggling 
in  the  lake.  There  being  no  proper  place  to  scull  in,  I  got 
an  oar  in  the  after  rullock,  and  made  out  to  scull  a  little,  in 
that  fashion.  I  now  saw  a  man  quite  near  the  boat ;  and, 
hauling  in  the  oar,  made  a  spring  amidships,  catching  this 
poor  fellow  by  the  collar.  He  was  very  near  gone ;  and  I 
had  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  in  getting  him  in  over  the  gun 
wale.  Our  joint  weight  brought  the  boat  down,  so  low,  that 
she  shipped  a  good  deal  of  water.  This  turned  out  to  be 
Leonard  Lewis,  the  young  man  who  had  helped  me  to  clew 
up  the  fore-topsail.  He  could  not  stand,  and  spoke  with 
difficulty.  I  asked  him  to  crawl  aft,  out  of  the  water ;  which 
he  did,  lying  down  in  the  stern-sheets 

I  now  looked  about  me,  and  heard  another ;  leaning  over 
the  gunwale,  I  got  a  glimpse  of  a  man,  struggling,  quite 
near  the  boat.  I  caught  him  by  the  collar,  too ;  and  had  to 
drag  him  in  very  much  in  the  way  I  had  done  with  Lewis. 
This  proved  to  be  Lemuel  Bryant,  the  man  who  had  beer 
wounded  by  a  hot  shot,  at  York,  as  already  mentioned^ 
while  the  commodore  was  on  board  us.  His  wound  had  not 
yet  healed,  but  he  was  less  exhausted  than  Lewis.  He  could 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  71 

not  help  me,  however,  lying  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  bo^t, 
Jhe  instant  he  was  able. 

For  a  few  moments,  I  now  heard  no  more  in  the  water ; 
and  I  began  to  sculi  again.  By  my  calculation,  I  moved  a 
few  yards,  and  must  have  got  over  the  spot  where  the 
schooner  went  down.  Here,  in  the  flashes,  I  saw  many 
heads,  the  men  swimming  in  confusion,  and  at  random.  By 
this  time,  little  was  said,  the  whole  scene  being  one  of  fear 
ful  struggling  and  frightful  silence.  It  still  rained  ;  but  the 
flashes  were  less  frequent,  and  less  fierce.  They  told  me, 
afterwards,  in  the  squadron,  that  it  thundered  awfully  ;  but 
I  cannot  say  I  heard  a  clap,  after  I  struck  the  water.  The 
next  man  caught  the  boat  himself.  It  was  a  mulatto,  from 
Martinique,  who  was  Mr.  Osgood's  steward ;  and  I  helped 
him  in.  He  was  much  exhausted,  though  an  excellent 
swimmer ;  but  alarm  nearly  deprived  him  of  his  strength. 
He  kept  saying,  "  Oh  !  Masser  Ned  —  Oh !  Masser  Ned  !" 
and  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  like  the  two  others  ; 
I  taking  care  to  shove  him  over  to  the  larboard  side,  so  as 
to  trim  our  small  craft. 

I  kept  calling  out,  to  encourage  the  swimmers,  and  pre 
sently  I  heard  a  voice,  saying,  "  Ned,  I  'm  here,  close  by 
you."  This  was  Tom  Goldsmith,  a  messmate,  and  the  very 
man  under  whose  rug  I  had  been  sleeping,  at  quarters.  He 
did  not  want  much  help,  getting  in,  pretty  much,  by  himself. 
I  asked  him,  if  he  were  able  to  help  me.  "  Yes,  Ned,"  he 
answered,  "  I  '11  stand  by  you  to  the  last ;  what  shall  I  do?"  1 
told  him  to  take  his  tarpaulin,  and  to  bail  the  boat,  which, 
by  this  time,  was  a  third  full  of  water.  This  he  did,  while 
I  sculled  a  little  ahead.  "  Ned,"  says  Tom,  "she's  gone 
down  with  her  colours  flying,  for  her  pennant  came  near 
getting  a  round  turn  about  my  body,  and  carrying  me  down 
with  her.  Davy  has  made  a  good  haul,  and  he  gave  us  a 
close  shave ;  but  he  didn't  get  you  and  me."  In  this  manner 
did  this  thoughtless  sailor  express  himself,  as  soon  as  res 
cued  from  the  grasp  of  death !  Seeing  something  on  the 
water,  I  asked  Tom  to  take  my  oar,  while  I  sprang  to  the 
gunwale,  and  caught  Mr.  Bogardus,  the  master's  mate,  who 
was  clinging  to  one  of  the  sweeps.  I  hauled  him  in,  and 
he  told  me,  he  thought,  some  one  had  hold  of  the  other  end 
of  the  sweep.  It  was  so  dark,  however,  we  could  not  see 


72'  NED    MYERS;   on, 

even  that  distance.  I  hauled  the  sweep  along,  until  I  found 
Ebenezer  Duffy,  a  mulatto,  and  the  ship's  cook.  He  could 
not  swim  a  stroke ;  and  was  nearly  gone.  I  got  him  *n, 
alone,  Tom  bailing,  lest  the  boat,  which  was  quite  small, 
should  swamp  with  us. 

As  the  boat  drifted  along,  she  reached  another  man, 
whom  I  caught  also  by  the  collar.  I  was  afraid  to  iaul 
this  person  in  amidships,  the  boat  being  now  so  deep,  and 
so  small,  and  so  I  dragged  him  ahead,  and  hauled  him  in 
over  the  bows.  This  was  the  pilot,  whose  name  I  never 
knew.  He  was  a  lake-man,  and  had  been  aboard  us  the 
whole  summer.  The  poor  fellow  was  almost  gone,  and  like 
all  the  rest,  with  the  exception  of  Tom,  he  lay  down  and 
said  not  a  word. 

We  had  now  as  many  in  the  boat  as  it  would  carry,  and 
Tom  and  myself  thought  it  would  not  do  to  take  in  any 
more.  It  is  true,  we  saw  no  more,  everything  around  us 
appearing  still  as  death,  the  pattering  of  the  rain  excepted. 
Tom  began  to  bail  again,  and  I  commenced  hallooing.  I 
sculled  about  several  minutes,  thinking  of  giving  others  a 
tow,  or  of  even  hauling  in  one  or  two  more,  after  we  got 
the  water  out  of  the  boat ;  but  we  found  no  one  else.  I 
think  it  probable  I  sculled  away  from  the  spot,  as  there  was 
nothing  to  guide  me.  I  suppose,  however,  that  by  this  time, 
all  the  Scourges  had  gone  down,  for  no  more  were  ever 
heard  from. 

Tom  Goldsmith  and  myself  now  put  our  heads  together 
as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done.  We  were  both  afraid  of 
falling  into  the  enemy's  hands,  for,  they  might  have  bore 
up  in  the  squall,  and  run  down  near  us.  On  the  whole, 
however,  we  thought  the  distance  between  the  two  squad 
rons  was  too  great  for  this ;  at  all  events,  something  must 
be  done  at  once.  So  we  began  to  row,  in  what  direction 
even  we  did  not  know.  It  still  rained  as  hard  as  it  could 
pour,  though  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind.  The  lightning 
came  now  at  considerable  intervals,  and  the  gust  was  evU 
dently  passing  away  towards  the  broader  parts  of  the  lake. 
While  we  were  rowing  and  talking  about  our  chance  of 
falling  in  with  the  enemy,  Tom  cried  out  to  me  to  "  avas1 
pulling."  He  had  seen  a  vessel,  by  a  flash,  and  he  thougM 
she  was  English,  from  her  size.  As  he  said  she  was  8 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  73 

schooner,  however,  I  thought  it  must  be  one  of  our  own 
craft,  and  got  her  direction  from  him.  At  the  next  flash  I 
saw  her,  and  felt  satisfied  she  belonged  to  us.  Before  we 
began  to  pull,  however,  we  were  hailed  "  boat  ahoy !"  I 
answered.  "  If  you  pull  another  stroke,  I  '11  fire  into  you" — 
came  back — "  what  boat 's  that  ?  Lay  on  your  oars,  or  I  '11 
fire  into  you."  It  was  clear  we  were  mistaken  ourselves 
for  an  enemy,  and  I  called  out  to  know  what  schooner  it 
was.  No  answer  was  given,  though  the  threat  to  fire  was 
repeated,  if  we  pulled  another  stroke.  I  now  turned  to  Tom 
and  said,  "  I  know  that  voice  —  that  is  old  Trant."  Tom 
thought  "we  were  in  the  w;ong  shop."  I  now  sung  out, 
"This  is  the  Scourge's  boat — our  schooner  has  gone  down, 
and  we  want  to  come  alongside."  A  voice  next  called  from 
the  schooner — "  Is  that  you,  Ned  ?"  This  I  knew  was  my 
old  ship-mate  and  school-fellow,  Jack  Mallet,  who  was  acu- 
ing  as  boatswain  of  the  Julia,  the  schooner  commanded  by 
sailing-master  Jam^s  Trant,  one  of  the  oddities  of  the  ser 
vice,  and  a  man  with  whom  the  blow  often  came  as  soon  as 
the  word.  I  had  known  Mr.  Trant's  voice,  and  felt  more 
afraid  he  would  fire  into  us,  than  I  had  done  of  anything 
which  had  occurred  that  fearful  night.  Mr.  Trant,  himself, 
now  called  out  — "  Oh-ho ;  give  way,  boys,  and  come 
alongside."  This  we  did,  and  a  very  few  strokes  took  us 
up  to  the  Julia,  where  we  were  received  with  the  utmost 
kindness.  The  men  were  passed  out  of  the  boat,  while  I 
gave  Mr.  Trant  an  account  of  all  that  had  happened.  This 
took  but  a  minute  or  two. 

Mr.  Trant  now  inquired  in  what  direction  the  Scourge 
had  gone  down,  and,  as  soon  as  I  had  told  him,  in  the  best 
manner  I  could,  he  called  out  to  Jack  Mallet — "  Oh-ho,  Mal 
let — take  four  hands,  and  go  in  the  boat  and  see  what  you 
can  do — take  a  lantern,  and  I  will  show  a  light  on  the  wa 
ter's  edge,  so  you  may  know  me."  Mallet  did  as  ordered, 
and  was  off  in  less  than  three  minutes  after  we  got  along 
side.  Mr.  Trant,  who  was  much  humoured,  had  no  officer 
in  the  Julia, 'unless  Mallet  could  be  called  one.  He  was  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  but  had  been  in  the  American  navy  ever 
since  the  revolution,  dying  a  lieutenant,  a  few  years  aftei 
this  war.  Perhaps  no  man  in  the  navy  was  more  generally 
known,  or  excited  more  am  isement  by  his  oddities,  or  more 
7 


74  NED     MYERS;     OR, 

respect  for  his  courage.  He  had  come  on  the  lake  with  the 
commodore,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  pet,  and  had  been 
active  in  all  the  fights  and  affairs  that  had  yet  taken  place. 
His  religion  was  to  hate  an  Englishman. 

Mr.  Trant  now  called  the  Scourges  aft,  and  asked  more 
of  the  particulars.  He  then  gave  us  a  glass  of  grog  all 
round,  and  made  his  own  crew  splice  the  main-brace.  'm  The 
Julias  now  offered  us  dry  clothes.  I  got  a  change  from 
Jack  Reilly,  who  had  been  an  old  messmate,  and  with  whom 
I  had  always  been  on  good  terms.  It  knocked  off  raining, 
but  we  shifted  ourselves  at  the  galley  fire  below.  I  then 
went  on  deck,  and  presently  we  heard  the  boat  pulling  back. 
It  soon  came  alongside,  bringing  in  it  four  more  men  that 
had  been  found  floating  about  on  sweeps  and  gratings.  On 
inquiry,  it  turned  out  that  these  men  belonged  to  the  Hamil 
ton,  Lt.  Winter — a  schooner  that  had  gone  down  in  the 
same  squall  that  carried  us  over.  These  men  were  very 
much  exhausted,  too,  and  we  all  went  below,  and  were  told 
to  turn  in. 

I  had  been  so  much  excited  during  the  scenes  through 
which  I  had  just  passed,  and  had  been  so  much  stimulated 
by  grog,  that,  as  yet,  I  had  not  felt  much  of  the  depression 
natural  to  such  events.  I  even  slept  soundly  that  night,  nor 
did  I  turn  out  until  six  the  next  morning. 

When  I  got  on  deck,  there  was  a  fine  breeze ;  it  was  a 
lovely  day,  and  the  lake  was  perfectly  smooth.  Our  fleet  was 
in  a  good  line,  in  pretty  close  order,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Governor  Tompkins,  Lieutenant  Tom  Brown,  which  was 
d.  little  to  leeward,  but  carrying  a  press  of  sail  to  close  with 
the  commodore.  Mr.  Trant  perceiving  that  the  Tompkins 
wished  to  speak  us  in  passing,  brailed  his  foresail  and  let 
her  luff  up  close  under  our  lee.  "Two  of  the  schooners, 
tho  Hamilton  and  the  Scourge,  have  gone  down  in  the  night," 
called  out  Mr.  Brown ;  "  for  I  have  picked  up  four  of  the 
Hamilton's."  "  Oh-ho !"— answered  Mr.  Trant— "  That's 
no  news  at  all!  for  I  have  picked  up  twelve;  eight  of  the 
Scourge's,  and  four  of  the  Hamilton's — aft  fore-sheet." 

These  were  all  that  were  ever  saved  from  the  two  schoon 
ers,  which  must  have  had  near  a  hundred  souls  on  board 
them.  The  two  commanders,  Lieutenant  Winter  and  Mr, 
Osgood  were  both  lost,  and  with  Mr.  Winter  went  down 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  75 

I  believe,  one  or  two  young  gentlemen.  The  squadron 
could  not  have  moved  much  between  the  time  when  the 
accidents  happened  and  that  when  I  came  on  deck,  or  we 
must  have  come  round  and  gone  over  the  same  ground 
again,  for  we  now  passed  many  relics  of  the  scene,  floating 
about  in  the  water.  I  saw  spunges,  gratings,  sweeps,  hats, 
&cv  scattered  about,  and  in  passing  ahead  we  saw  one  of 
the  latter  that  we  tried  to  catch ;  Mr.  Trant  ordering  it 
done,  as  he  said  it  must  have  been  Lieutenant  Winter's. 
We  did  not  succeed,  however ;  nor  was  any  article  taken 
on  board.  A  good  look-out  was  kept  for  men,  from  aloft, 
but  none  were  seen  from  any  of  the  vessels.  The  lake  had 
swallowed  up  the  rest  of  the  two  crews;  and  the  Scourge, 
as  had  been  often  predicted,  had  literally  become  a  coffin  to 
a  large  portion  of  her  people. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  manoeuvring  between  the  two 
fleets  this  day,  and  some  efforts  were  made  to  engage ;  but, 
to  own  the  truth,  I  felt  so  melancholy  about  the  loss  of  so 
many  ship-mates,  that  I  did  not  take  much  notice  of  what 
passed.  All  my  Black  Jokers  were  drowned,  and  nothing 
remained  of  the  craft  and  people  with  which  and  whom  i 
had  been  associated  all  summer.  Bill  Southard,  too,  was 
among  the  lost,  as  indeed  were  all  my  messmates  but  Tom 
Goldsmith  and  Lemuel  Bryant.  T  had  very  serious  and 
proper  impressions  for  the  moment ;  but  my  new  shipmates, 
some  of  whom  had  been  old  shipmates  in  other  crafts,  man 
aged  to  cheer  me  up  with  grog.  The  effect  was  not  durable, 
and  in  a  short  time  I  ceased  to  think  of  what  had  happened. 
I  have  probably  reflected  more  on  the  merciful  manner  in 
which  my  life  was  spared,  amid  a  scene  so  terrific,  within 
the  last  five  years,  than  I  did  in  the  twenty-five  that  imme 
diately  followed  the  accidents. 

The  fleet  went  in,  off*  the  Niagara,  and  anchored.  Mr. 
Trant  now  mustered  the  remaining  Scourges,  and  told  us 
he  wanted  just  our  number  of  hands,  and  that  he  meant  to 
get  an  order  to  keep  us  in  the  Julia.  In  the  meantime,  he 
should  station  and  quarter  us.  I  was  stationed  at  the  braces, 
and  quartered  at  the  long  thirty-two  as  second  loader.  The 
Julia  mounted  a  long  thirty-two,  and  an  eighteen  on  pivots, 
besides  two  sixes  in  the  waist.  The  last  were  little  used,  as 
I  have  already  mentioned.  She  was  a  small,  but  a  fast 


76  NED     MYERS;     OR, 

schooner,  and  had  about  forty  souls  on  board..  She  wag 
altogether  a  better  craft  than  the  Scourge,  though  destitute 
of  any  quarters,  but  a  low  rail  with  wash-boards,  and  car 
rying  fewer  guns. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

I  NEVER  knew  what  became  of  the  four  Hamiltons  that 
were  picked  up  by  the  Julia's  boat,  though  I  suppose  they 
were  put  in  some  other  vessel  along  with  their  shipmates ; 
nor  did  I  ever  learn  the  particulars  of  the  loss  of  this  schooner, 
beyond  the  fact  that  her  topsail-sheets  were  stoppered,  and 
her  halyards  racked.  This  much  I  learned  from  the  men 
who  were  brought  on  board  the  Julia,  who  said  that  their 
craft  was  ready,  in  all  respects,  for  action.  Some  seamen 
have  thought  this  wrong,  and  some  right;  but,  in  my 
opinion,  it  made  but  little  difference  in  such  a  gust  as  that 
which  passed  over  us.  What  was  remarkable,  the  Julia, 
which  could  not  have  been  far  from  the  Scourge  when  we 
went  over,  felt  no  great  matter  of  wind,  just  luffing  up,  and 
shaking  her  sails,  to  be  rid  of  it ! 

We  lay  only  one  night  off  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara. 
The  next  morning  the  squadron  weighed,  and  stood  out  in 
pursuit  of  the  English.  The  weather  was  very  variable, 
and  we  could  not  get  within  reach  of  Sir  James  all  that 
day.  This  was  the  9th  of  August.  The  Scourge  had  gone 
down  on  the  night  of  the  7th,  or  the  morning  of  the  8th,  I 
never  knew  which.  On  the  morning  of  the  10th,  however, 
we  were  under  the  north  shore,  and  to  windward  of  John 
Bull.  The  Commodore  now  took  the  Asp,  and  the  Madison 
the  Fair  American,  in  tow,  and  we  all  kept  away,  expecting 
certainly  a  general  action.  But  the  wind  shifted,  bringing 
the  English  to  windward.  The  afternoon  was  calm ;  or 
had  variable  airs.  Towards  sunset,  the  enemy  was  be 
calmed  under  the  American  shore,  and  we  got  a  breeze 
from  the  southward.  We  now  closed,  and  at  6  formed  our 
Jine  for  engaging.  We  continued  to  close  until  7,  when 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  77 

ihe  wind  came  out  fresh  at  S.  W.,  putting  John  again  to 
windward. 

I  can  hardly  tell  what  followed,  there  was  so  much  ma- 
nceuvring  and  shifting  of  berths.  Both  squadroas  were 
standing  across  the  lake,  the  enemy  being  to  windward,  and 
a  little  astern  of  us.  We  now  passed  within  hail  of  the 
commodore,  who  gave  us  orders  to  form  a  new  line  of  bat 
tle,  which  we  did  in  the  following  manner.  One  line,  com 
posed  of  the  smallest  schooners,  was  formed  to  windward, 
while  the  ships,  brig,  and  two  heaviest  schooners,  formed 
another  line  to  leeward.  We  had  the  weathermost  line, 
having  the  Growler,  Lieutenant  Deacon,  for  the  vessel  next 
astern  of  us.  This  much  I  could  see,  though  I  did  not  un 
derstand  the  object.  I  now  learn  the  plan  was  for  the 
weather  line  to  engage  the  enemy,  and  then,  by  edging 
away,  draw  them  down  upon  the  lee  line,  which  line  con 
tained  our  principal  force.  According  to  the  orders,  we 
ought  to  have  rather  edged  off,  as  soon  as  the  English 
began  to  fire,  in  order  to  draw  them  down  upon  the  commo 
dore ;  but  it  will  be  seen  that  our  schooner  pursued  a  ver) 
different  course. 

It  must  have  been  near  midnight,  when  the  enemy  began 
to  fire  at  the  Fair  American,  the  stemmost  vessel  of  oui 
weather  line.  We  were  a  long  bit  ahead  of  her,  and  did 
not  engage  for  some  time.  The  firing  became  pretty  smart 
astern,  but  we  stood  on,  without  engaging,  the  enemy  not 
yet  being  far  enough  ahead  for  us.  After  a  while,  the  four 
sternmost  schooners  of  our  line  kept  off,  according  to  orders, 
but  the  Julia  and  Growler  still  stood  on.  I  suppose  the 
English  kept  off,  too,  at  the  same  time,  as  the  commodore 
had  expected.  At  any  rate,  we  found  ourselves  so  well  up 
with  the  enemy,  that,  instead  of  bearing  up,  Mr.  Trant 
tacked  in  the  Julia,  and  the  Growler  came  round  after  us. 
We  now  began  to  fire  on  the  headmost  ships  of  the  enemy, 
which  were  coming  on  towards  us.  We  were  able  to  lay 
past  the  enemy  on  this  tack,  and  fairly  got  to  windward  of 
them.  When  we  were  a  little  on  John  Bull's  weather  bow, 
we  brailed  the  foresail,  and  gave  him  several  rounds,  within 
a  pretty  fair  distance.  The  enemy  answered  us,  and,  from 
that  moment,  he  seemed  to  give  up  all  thoughts  of  the  ves- 
7* 


78  NED     MYERS;     OR, 

pels  to  leeward  of  him,  turning  his  whole  attention  on  the 
Julia  and  Growler. 

The  English  fleet  stood  on  the  same  tack,  until  it  had  got 
between  us  and  our  own  line,  when  it  went  about  in  chase 
of  us.  We  now  began  to  make  short  tacks  to  windward ; 
the  enemy  separating  so  as  to  spread  a  wide  clew,  in  order 
that  they  might  prevent  our  getting  past,  by  turning  their 
line  and  running  to  leeward.  As  for  keeping  to  windward, 
we  had  no  difficulty — occasionally  brailing  our  foresail,  and 
even  edging  off,  now  and  then,  to  be  certain  that  our  shot 
would  tell.  In  moderate  weather,  the  Julia  was  the  fastest 
vessel  in  the  American  squadron,  the  Lady  of  the  Lake 
excepted  ;  and  the  Growler  was  far  from  being  dull.  Had 
there  been  room,  I  make  no  doubt  we  might  have  kept  clear 
of  John  Bull,  with  the  greatest  ease;  touching  him  up  with 
our  long,  heavy  guns,  from  time  to  time,  as  it  suited  us.  I 
have  often  thought  that  Mr.  Trant  forgot  we  were  between 
the  enemy  and  the  land,  and  that  he  fancied  himself  out  at 
sea.  It  was  a  hazy,  moonlight  morning,  and  we  did  not  see 
anything  of  the  main,  though  it  turned  out  to  be  nearer  to 
us  than  we  wished. 

All  hands  were  now  turning  to  windward ;  the  two 
schooners  still  edging  off,  occasionally,  and  firing.  The 
enemy's  shot  went  far  beyond  us,  and  did  us  some  mischief, 
though  nothing  that  was  not  immediately  repaired.  The 
main  throat-halyards,  on  board  the  Julia,  were  shot  away, 
as  was  the  clew  of  the  mainsail.  It  is  probable  the  enemy 
did  not  keep  his  luff,  towards  the  last,  on  account  of  the  land. 

Our  two  schooners  kept  quite  near  each  other,  sometimes 
one  being  to  windward,  sometimes  the  other.  It  happened 
that  the  Growler  was  a  short  distance  to  windward  of  us, 
when  we  first  became  aware  of  the  nature  of  our  critical 
situation.  She  up  helm,  and,  running  down  within  hail, 
Lieutenant  Deacon  informed  Mr.  Trant  he  had  just  sounded 
in  two  fathoms,  and  that  he  could  see  lights  ashore.  He 
thought  there  must  be  Indians,  in  greai  numbers,  in  this 
vicinity,  and  that  we  must,  at  all  events,  avoid  the  land. 
"What  do  you  think  we  had  best  do?"  asked  Lieutenant 
Deacon.  "Run  the  gauntlet,"  called  out  Mr.  Trant.  "Very 
well,  sir :  which  shall  lead  ?"  "  I'll  lead  the  van,"  answered 
Mr.  Trant,  and  then  all  was  settled. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  79 

We  now  up  helm,  and  steered  for  a  vacancy  among  the 
British  vessels.  The  enemy  seemed  to  expect  us,  for  they 
formed  m  two  lines,  leaving  us  room  to  enter  between  them. 
When  we  bore  up,  even  in  these  critical  circumstances,  it 
was  under  our  mainsail,  fore-top-sail,  jib,  flying-jib,  and  fore 
sail.  So  insufficient  were  the  equipments  of  these  small 
craft,  that  we  had  neither  square-sail  nor  studding-sails  on 
board  us.  I  never  saw  a  studding-sail  in  any  of  the  schoon 
ers,  the  Scourge  excepted. 

The  Julia  and  Growler  now  ran  down,  the  former  lead 
ing,  half  a  cable's-length  apart.  When  we  entered  between 
the  two  lines  of  the  enemy,  we  were  within  short  canister- 
range,  and  got  it  smartly  on  both  tacks.  The  two  English 
ships  were  to  leeward,  each  leading  a  line ;  and  we  had  a 
brig,  and  three  large,  regular,  man-of-war  schooners,  to  get 
past,  with  the  certainty  of  meeting  the  Wolfe  and  Royal 
George,  should  we  succeed  in  clearing  these  four  craft.  Both 
of  us  kept  up  a  heavy  fire,  swivelling  our  guns  round,  so  as 
not  to  neglect  any  one.  As  we  drew  near  the  ships,  how 
ever,  we  paid  them  the  compliment  of  throwing  all  the  heavy 
shot  at  them,  as  was  due  fo  their  rank  and  size. 

For  a  few  minutes  we  fared  pretty  well ;  but  we  were  no 
sooner  well  entered  between  the  lines,  than  we  got  it,  hot 
and  hard.  Our  rigging  began  to  come  down  about  our  ears, 
and  one  shot  passed  a  lew  feet  above  our  heads,  cutting  both 
topsail-sheets,  and  scooping  a  bit  of  wood  as  big  as  a  thirty- 
two  pound  shot,  out  of  the  foremast.  I  went  up  on  one  side, 
myself,  to  knot  one  of  these  sheets,  and,  while  aloft,  disco 
vered  the  injury  that  had  been  done  to  the  spar.  Soon  after, 
the  tack  of  the  mainsail  caught  fire,  from  a  wad  of  one  of 
the  Englishmen ;  for,  by  this  time,  we  were  close  at  it.  I 
think,  indeed,  that  the  nearness  of  the  enemy  alone  pre 
vented  our  decks  from  being  entirely  swept.  The  grape  and 
canister  were  passing  just  above  our  heads  like  hail,  and  the 
foresail  was  literally  in  ribands.  The  halyards  being  gone, 
the  mainsail  came  down  by  the  run,  and  the  jib  settled  as 
low  as  it  could.  The  topsail-yard  was  on  the  cap,  and  the 
schooner  now  came  up  into  the  wind. 

All  this  time,  we  kept  working  the  guns.  The  old  man 
went  from  one  gun  to  the  other,  pointing  each  himself,  as  it 
vas  ready.  He  was  at  the  eighteen  when  things  were  get- 


80  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

ting  near  the  worst,  and,  as  he  left  her,  he  called  out  to  hel 
crew  to  "fill  her — fill  her  to  the  muzzle!"  He  then  came 
to  our  gun,  which  was  already  loaded  with  one  round,  a 
stand  of  grape,  and  a  case  of  canister  shot.  This  I  know, 
for  I  put  them  all  in  with  my  own  hands.  At  this  time,  the 
Melville,  a  brig  of  the  enemy's,  was  close  up  with  us,  firing 
upon  our  decks  from  her  fore-top.  She  was  coming  up  on 
our  larboard  quarter,  while  a  large  schooner  was  nearing  us 
fast  on  the  starboard.  Mr.  Trant  directed  our  gun  to  be 
elevated  so  as  to  sweep  the  brig's  forecastle,  and  then  he 

called  out,  "  Now 's  the  time,  lads — fire  at  the  b s  I  fire 

away  at  'em  !"  But  no  match  was  to  be  found  !  Some  one 
had  thrown  both  overboard.  By  this  time  the  brig's  jib- 
boom  was  over  our  quarter,  and  the  English  were  actually 
coming  on  board  of  us.  The  enemy  were  now  all  round  us. 
The  Wolfe,  herself,  was  within  hail,  and  still  firing.  The 
last  I  saw  of  any  of  our  people,  was  Mallet  passing  forward, 
and  I  sat  down  on  the  slide  of  the  thirty-two,  myself,  suiisai 
as  a  bear.  Two  or  three  of  the  English  passed  me,  without 
saying  anything.  Even  at  this  instant,  a  volley  of  bullets 
came  out  of  the  brig's  fore-top,  and  struck  all  around  me ; 
some  hitting  the  deck,  and  others  the  gun  itself.  Just  then, 
an  English  officer  came  up,  and  said — "  What  are  you  doing 
here,  you  Yankee?"  I  felt  exceedingly  savage,  and  an 
swered,  "  Looking  at  your  fools  firing  upon  their  own  men." 
"  Take  that  for  your  sauce,"  he  said,  giving  me  a  thrust 
with  his  sword,  as  he  spoke.  The  point  of  the  cutlass  just 
passed  my  hip-bone,  and  gave  me  a  smart  flesh-wound.  The 
hurt  was  not  dangerous,  though  it  bled  freely,  and  was  some 
weeks  in  healing.  I  now  rose  to  go  below,  and  heard  a  hail 
from  one  of  the  ships — the  Wolfe,  as  I  took  her  to  be. 
"  Have  you  struck  ?"  demanded  some  one.  The  officer  who 
had  hurt  me  now  called  out,  "  Don't  fire  into  us,  sir,  for  I'm 
on  board,  and  have  got  possession."  The  officer  from  the 
ship  next  asked,  "  Is  there  anybody  alive  on  board  her  ?" 
To  which  the  prize-officer  answered,  "  I  don't  know,  sir , 
I  've  seen  but  one  man,  as  yet.'* 

I  now  went  down  below.  First,  I  got  a  bandage  on  my 
wound,  to  stop  the  bleeding,  and  then  I  had  an  opportunity 
to  look  about  me.  A  party  of  English  was  below,  and 
some  of  our  men  having  joined  them,  the  heads  were  knock- 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  81 

ed  out  of  two  barrels  of  whiskey.  The  kids  and  bread-bags 
were  procured,  and  all  hands,  without  distinction  of  country, 
sat  down  to  enjoy  themselves.  Some  even  began  to  sing, 
and,  as  for  good-fellowship,  it  was  just  as  marked,  as  it 
would  have  been  in  a  jollification  ashore. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  officer  who  had  hurt  me  jumped 
down  among  us.  The  instant  he  saw  what  we  were  at,  he 
sang  out — "  Halloo  !  here 's  high  life  below  stairs  !"  Then 
he  called  to  another  officer  to  bear  a  hand  down  and  see  the 
fun.  Some  one  sung  out  from  among  ourselves  to  "  dowse 
the  glim."  The  lights  were  put  out,  and  then  the  two  offi 
cers  capsized  the  whiskey.  While  this  was  doing,  most  of 
the  Englishmen  ran  up  the  forward  hatch.  We  Julias  all 
remained  below. 

In  less  than  an  hour  we  were  sent  on  board  the  enemy's 
vessels.  I  was  carried  to  the  Royal  George,  but  Mr.  Trant 
was  taken  on  board  the  Wolfe.  The  Growler  had  lost  her 
bowsprit,  and  was  otherwise  damaged,  and  had  been  forced 
to  strike  also.  She  had  a  man  killed,  and  I  believe  one  or 
two  wounded.*  On  board  of  us,  not  a  man,  besides  myself, 
had  been  touched  !  We  seemed  to  have  been  preserved  by 
a  miracle,  for  every  one  of  the  enemy  had  a  slap  at  us,  and, 
for  some  time,  we  were  within  pistol-shot.  Then  we  had 
no  quarters  at  all,  being  perfectly  exposed  to  grape  and 
canister.  The  enemy  must  have  fired  too  high,  for  nothing 
else  could  have  saved  us. 

In  July,  while  I  still  belonged  to  the  Scourge,  I  had  been 
sent  with  a  boat's  crew,  under  Mr.  Bogardus,  on  board  an 
English  flag  of  truce  that  had  come  into  the  Harbour. 
While  in  this  vessel,  our  boat's  crew  were  "  hail-fellows- 
well-met"  with  the  Englishmen,  and  we  had  agreed  among 
us  to  take  care  of  each  other,  should  either  side  happen  to 
be  taken.  I  had  been  on  board  the  Royal  George  but  a 
short  time,  when  two  of  these  very  men  came  up  to  me  with 
some  grog  and  some  grub ;  and  next  morning  they  brought 

*  It  is  supposed  that  Capt.  Deacon  died,  a  few  years  since,  in  con 
sequence  of  an  injury  he  received  on  board  the  Growler,  this  night. 
A  shot  struck  her  main-boom,  within  a  short  distance  of  one  of  his 
ears,  and  he  ever  after  complained  of  its  effects.  At  his  death  this 
side  of  his  head  was  much  swollen  and  affected. —  EDITOR. 


82  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

me  my  bitters.  I  saw  no  more  of  them,  however,  except 
when  they  came  to  shake  hands  with  us  at  the  gang-way,  as 
we  were  leaving  the  ship. 

After  breakfast,  next  morning,  we  were  all  called  aft  to 
the  ward-room,  one  at  a  time.  I  was  pumped  as  to  the 
force  of  the  Americans,  the  names  of  the  vessels,  the  num 
bers  of  the  crews,  and  the  names  of  the  commanders.  I 
answered  a  little  saucily,  and  was  ordered  out  of  the  ward 
room.  As  I  was  quitting  the  place,  I  was  called  back  by 
one  of  the  lieutenants,  whose  appearance  I  did  not  like  from 
the  first.  Although  it  was  now  eight  years  since  I  left  Hali 
fax,  and  we  had  both  so  much  altered,  I  took  this  gentleman 
for  Mr.  Bowen,  the  very  midshipman  of  the  Cleopatra,  who 
had  been  my  schoolmate,  and  whom  I  had  known  on  board 
the  prize-brig  I  have  mentioned. 

This  officer  asked  me  where  I  was  born.  I  told  him  New 
York.  He  said  he  knew  better,  and  asked  my  name.  1 
told  him  it  was  what  he  found  it  on  the  muster-roll,  and  trat 
by  which  I  had  been  called.  He  said  I  knew  better,  and 
that  I  should  hear  more  of  this,  hereafter.  If  this  were  my 
old  schoolfellow,  he  knew  that  I  was  always  called  Edward 
Robert  Meyers,  whereas  I  had  dropped  the  middle  name, 
and  now  called  myself  Myers.  He  may  not,  however,  have 
been  the  person  I  took  him  for,  and  might  have  mistaken 
me  for  some  one  else ;  for  I  never  had  an  opportunity  of 
ascertaining  any  more  about  him. 

We  got  into  Little  York,  and  were  sent  ashore  that  even 
ing.  I  can  say  nothing  of  our  squadron,  having  been  kept 
below  the  whole  time  I  was  on  board  the  Royal  George.  I 
could  not  find  out  whether  we  did  the  enemy  any  harm,  or 
not,  the  night  we  were  taken  ;  though  I  remember  that  a 
sixty-eight  pound  carronade,  that  stood  near  the  gang-way 
of  the  Royal  George,  was  dismounted,  the  night  I  passed 
into  her.  It  looked  to  me  as  if  the  trucks  were  gone.  This 
I  know,  that  the  ship  was  more  than  usually  screened  off; 
though  for  what  reason  I  will  not  pretend  to  say. 

At  York,  we  were  put  in  the  gaol,  where  we  were  kept  three 
weeks.  Our  treatment  was  every  way  bad,  with  the  excep 
tion  that  we  were  not  crowded.  As  to  food,  we  were  kept 
"  six  upon  four"  the  whole  time  I  was  prisoner.*  The  bread 

*  By  this,  Ned  means  six  men  had  to  subsist  on  the  usual  allow 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  83 

was  bad,  and  the  pork  little  better.  While  in  this  gaol,  a 
party  of  drunken  Indians  gave  us  a  volley,  in  passing;  but 
luckily  it  did  us  no  harm. 

At  the  end  of  three  weeks,  we  received  a  haversack 
apiece,  and  two  days'  allowance.  Our  clothes  were  taken 
from  us,  and  the  men  were  told  they  would  get  them  below; 
a  thing  that  happened  to  very  few  of  us,  I  believe.  As  for 
myself,  I  was  luckily  without  anything  to  lose ;  my  effects 
having  gone  down  in  the  Scourge.  All  I  had  on  earth  was 
a  shirt  and  two  handkerchiefs,  and  an  old  slouchedjiat,  that 
I  had  got  in  exchange  for  a  Scotch  cap  that  had  been  given 
to  me  in  the  Julia.  I  was  without  shoes,  and  so  continued 
until  I  reached  Halifax.  All  this  gave  me  little  concern ; 
my  spirits  being  elastic,  and  my  disposition  gay.  My  great 
trouble  was  the  apprehension  of  being  known,  through  the 
recollections  of  the  officer  I  have  mentioned. 

We  now  commenced  our  march  for  Kingston,  under  the 
guard  of  a  company  of  the  Glengarians  and  a  party  of 
Indians.  The  last  kept  on  our  flanks,  and  it  was  understood 
they  would  shoot  and  scalp  any  man  who  left  the  ranks. 
We  marched  two  and  two,  being  something  like  eighty  pri 
soners.  It  was  hard  work  for  the  first  day  or  two,  the  road 
being  nothing  but  an  Indian  trail,  and  our  lodging-places 
the  open  air.  My  feet  became  very  sore,  and,  as  for  food, 
we  had  to  eat  our  pork  raw,  there  being  nothing  to  cook  in. 
The  soldiers  fared  no  better  than  ourselves,  however,  with 
the  exception  of  being  on  full  allowance.  It  seems  that  our 
provisions  were  sent  by  water,  and  left  for  us  at  particular 
places  ;  for  every  eight-and-forty  hours  we  touched  the  lake 
shore,  and  found  them  ready  for  us.  They  were  left  on  the 
beach  without  any  guard,  or  any  one  near  them.  In  this 
way  we  picked  up  our  supplies  the  whole  distance. 

At  the  depot,  Mr.  Bogardus  and  the  pilot  found  a  boat, 
and  managed  to  get  into  her,  and  put  out  into  the  lake. 
After  being  absent  a  day  and  night,  they  were  driven  in  by 
rough  weather,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  party  of  dra 
goons  who  were  escorting  Sir  George  Prevost  along  the  laka 

ance  of  four  men  ;  a  distinction  that  was  made  between  men  on  duty 
and  men  off.  Prisoners,  too,  are  commonly  allowed  to  help  themselves 
in  a  variety  of  ways.  —  EDITOR. 


84  NEDMYERS;OR, 

shore.  We  found  them  at  a  sort  of  tavern,  where  were  tho 
English  Governor  and  his  escort  at  the  time.  They  were 
sent  back  among  us,  with  two  American  army  officers,  who 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  and  had  been  most 
foully  treated.  One  of  these  officers  was  wounded  in  the 
arm. 

The  night  of  the  day  we  fell  in  with  Sir  George  Prevost, 
we  passed  through  a  hamlet,  and  slept  just  without  it.  As 
we  entered  the  village  the  guard  played  Yankee  Doodle, 
winding  up  with  the  Rogue's  March.  As  we  went  through 
the  place,  I  got  leave  to  go  to  a  house  and  ask  for  a  drink 
of  milk.  The  woman  of  this  house  said  they  had  been  ex 
pecting  us  for  two  days,  and  that  they  had  been  saving  their 
milk  expressly  to  give  us.  I  got  as  much  as  I  wanted,  and 
a  small  loaf  of  bread  in  the  bargain,  as  did  several  others 
with  me.  These  people  seemed  to  me  to  be  all  well  aftecied 
to  the  Americans,  and  much  disposed  to  treat  us  kindly. 
We  slept  on  a  barn  floor  that  night. 

We  were  much  provoked  at  the  insult  of  playing  t'he 
Rogue's  March.  Jack  Reilly  and  I  laid  a  plan  to  have  our 
revenge,  should  it  be  repeated.  Two  or  three  days  later 
we  had  the  same  tune,  at  another  village,  and  I  caught  up 
a  couple  of  large  stones,  ran  ahead,  and  dashed  them  through 
both  ends  of  the  drum,  before  the  boy,  who  was  beating  it, 
knew  what  I  was  about.  Jack  snatched  the  fife  out  of  the 
other  boy's  hand,  and  it  was  passed  from  one  to  another 
among  us,  until  it  reached  one  who  threw  it  over  the  railing 
of  a  bridge.  After  this,  we  had  no  more  music,  good  or 
bad.  Not  a  word  was  said  to  any  of  us  about  this  affair, 
and  I  really  think  the  officers  were  ashamed  of  themselves. 

After  a  march  of  several  days  we  came  to  a  hamlet,  not 
a  great  distance  from  Kingston.  I  saw  a  good  many  geese 
about,  and  took  a  fancy  to  have  one  for  supper.  I  told  Mal 
let  if  he  would  cook  a  goose,  I  would  tip  one  over.  The 
matter  was  arranged  between  us,  and  picking  up  a  club  I 
made  a  dash  at  a  flock,  and  knocked  a  bird  over.  I  caught 
up  the  goose  and  ran,  when  my  fellow-prisoners  called  out 
to  me  to  dodge,  which  I  did,  behind  a  stump,  not  knowing 
from  what  quarter  the  danger  might  come.  It  was  well  I 
did,  for  two  Indians  fired  at  me,  one  hitting  the  stump,  and 
the  other  ball  passing  just  over  my  head.  A  militia  officci 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  85 

flow  gallopped  up,  and  drove  back  the  Indians  who  were 
junning  up  to  me,  to  look  after  the  scalp,  I  suppose.  This 
officer  remonstrated  with  me,  but  spoke  mildly  and  even 
kindly.  I  told  him  I  was  hungry,  and  that  I  wanted  a  warm 
mess.  "  But  you  are  committing  a  robbery/'  he  said.  "  If 
I  am,  I  'm  robbing  an  enemy."  "  You  do  not  know  but  it 
may  be  a  friend,"  was  his  significant  answer.  "  Well,  if  I 
am,  Ae'Il  not  grudge  me  the  ^oose,"  says  I.  On  hearing 
this,  the  officer  laughed,  and  asked  me  how  I  meant  to  cook 
Jhe  goose.  I  told  him  that  one  of  my  messmates  had  pro 
mised  to  do  this  for  me.  He  then  bade  me  carry  the  goose 
into  the  ranks,  and  to  come  to  him  when  we  halted  at  night. 
I  did  this,  and  he  gave  us  a  pan,  some  potatoes,  onions,  &c., 
out  of  which  we  made  the  only  good  mess  we  got  on  our 
march.  I  may  say  this  was  the  last  hearty  and  really  pala 
table  meal  I  made  until  I  reached  Halifax,  a  period  of  seve 
ral  weeks. 

While  Jack  Mallet  was  cooking  the  goose,  I  went  in  be 
hind  a  pile  of  boards,  attended  by  a  soldier  to  watch  me 
and,  while  there,  I  saw  an  ivory  rule  lying  on  the  boards, 
with  fifteen  pence  alongside  of  it.  These  I  pinned,  as  a 
lawful  prize,  being  in  an  enemy's  country.  The  money 
served  to  buy  us  some  bread.  The  rule  was  bartered  for 
half  a  gallon  of  rum.  This  made  us  a  merry  night,  taking 
all  things  together. 

We  made  no  halt  at  Kingston,  though  the  Indians  left  us. 
We  now  marched  through  a  settled  country,  with  some 
militia  for  our  guards.  Our  treatment  was  much  better  than 
it  had  been,  the  people  of  the  country  treating  us  kindly. 
When  we  were  abreast  of  the  Thousand  Islands,  Mr.  Bo- 
gardus  and  the  pilot  made  another  attempt  to  escape,  and 
got  fairly  off.  These  were  the  only  two  who  did  succeed. 
How  they  effected  it  I  cannot  say,  but  I  know  they  escaped. 
I  never  saw  either  afterwards. 

At  the  Long  Sault,  we  were  all  put  in  boats,  with  a  Ca 
nadian  pilot  in  each  end.  The  militia  staid  behind,  and 
down  we  went ;  they  say  at  the  rate  of  nine  miles  in  fifteen 
minutes.  We  found  a  new  guard  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids. 
This  was  done,  beyond  a  doubt,  to  save  us  and  themselves, 
though  we  thought  hard  of  it  at  the  time,  for  it  appeared  to 
us,  as  if  they  thrust  us  into  a  danger  they  did  not  like  to 
8 


86  NEDMYERSJOR, 

run  themselves.  I  have  since  heard  that  even  ladies  travel 
ling,  used  to  go  down  these  formidable  rapids  in  the  same 
way ;  and  that,  with  skilful  pilots,  there  is  little  or  no  dan 
ger. 

When  we  reached  Montreal  we  were  confined  in  a  gaol 
where  we  remained  three  weeks.  There  was  an  American 
lady  confined  in  this  building,  though  she  had  more  liberty 
than  we,  and  from  her  we  received  much  aid.  She  sent  us 
soap,  and  she  gave  me  bandages  &c.,  for  my  hurt.  Occa 
sionally  she  gave  us  little  things  to  eat.  I  never  knew  her 
name,  but  heard  she  had  two  sons  in  the  American  army, 
and  that  she  had  been  detected  in  corresponding  with  them. 

We  remained  at  Montreal  two  or  three  weeks,  and  then 
were  sent  down  to  Quebec,  where  we  were  put  on  board  of 
prison-ships.  I  was  sent  to  the  Lord  Cathcart,  and  most 
of  the  Julia's  men  with  me.  Our  provisions  were  very  bad, 
and  the  mortality  among  us  was  great.  The  bread  was 
intolerably  bad.  Mr.  Trant  came  to  see  us,  privately,  and 
he  brought  some  salt  with  him,  which  was  a  great  relief  to 
us.  Jack  Mallet  asked  him  whether  some  of  us  might  not 
go  to  work  on  board  a  transport,  that  lay  just  astern  of  us, 
in  order  to  get  something  better  to  eat.  Mr.  Trant  said  yes, 
and  eight  of  us  went  on  board  this  craft,  every  day,  getting 
provisions  and  grog  for  our  pay.  At  sunset,  we  returned 
regularly  to  the  Cathcart.  I  got  a  second  shirt  and  a  pair 
of  trowsers  in  this  way. 

About  a  fortnight  after  this  arrangement,  the  Surprise> 
32,  and  a  sloop-of-war,  came  in,  anchoring  some  distance 
below  the  town.  These  ships  sent  their  boats  up  to  the 
prison-ships  to  examine  them  for  men.  After  going  through 
those  vessels,  they  came  on  board  the  transport,  and  finding 
us  fresh,  clean,  fed  and  tolerably  clad,  they  pronounced  us 
all  Englishmen,  and  carried  us  on  board  the  frigate.  We 
were  not  permitted  even  to  go  and  take  leave  of  our  ship 
mates.  Of  the  eight  men.  thus  taken,  five  were  native 
Americans,  one  was  from  Mozambique,  one  I  suppose  to 
have  been  an  English  subject  born,  but  long  settled  in 
America ;  and,  as  for  me,  the  reader  knows  as  much  of  m} 
origin  as  I  know  myself. 

We  were  asked  if  we  would  go  to  duty  on  board  the  Sur 
prise,  and  we  all  refused.  We  were  then  put  in  close  con« 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  87 

finement,  on  the  berth-deck,  under  the  charge  of  a  sentry 
In  a  day  or  two,  the  ship  sailed ;  and  off  Cape  Breton  we 
met  with  a  heavy  gale,  in  which  the  people  suffered  severely 
with  snow  and  cold.  The  ship  was  kept  off  the  land,  with 
great  difficulty.  After  all,  we  prisoners  saved  the  ship, 
though  I  think  it  likely  the  injury  originally  came  from 
some  of  us.  The  breechings  of  two  of  the  guns  had  been 
cut,  and  the  guns  broke  adrift  in  the  height  of  the  gale.  All 
the  crew  were  on  deck,  and  the  sentinel  permitting  it,»we 
went  up  and  smothered  the  guns  with  hammocks.  We 
were  now  allowed  to  go  about  deck,  but  this  lasted  a  short 
time,  the  whole  of  us  being  sent  below,  again,  as  soon  as 
the  gale  abated. 

On  reaching  Halifax,  we  were  all  put  on  board  of  tha 
Regulus  transport,  bound  to  Bermuda.  Here  we  eight  were 
thrown  into  irons,  under  the  accusation  of  being  British 
subjects.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours,  however,  the 
captain  came  to  us,  and  offered  to  let  us  out  of  irons,  and 
to  give  us  ship's  treatment,  if  we  would  help  in  working  the 
vessel  to  Bermuda.  I  have  since  thought  we  were  ironed 
merely  to  extort  this  arrangement  from  us.  We  consulted 
together ;  and,  thinking  a  chance  might  offer  to  get  posses 
sion  of  the  Regulus,  which  had  only  a  few  Canadians  in 
her,  and  was  to  be  convoyed  by  the  Pictou  schooner,  we 
consented.  We  were  now  turned  up  to  duty,  and  I  got  the 
first  pair  of  shoes  that  had  been  on  my  feet  since  the  Scourge 
sunk  from  under  me. 

The  reader  will  imagine  I  had  not  been  in  the  harbour 
of  Halifax,  without  a  strong  desire  to  ascertain  something 
about  those  I  had  left  behind  me,  in  that  town.  I  was  ner 
vously  afraid  of  being  discovered,  and  yet  had  a  feverish 
wish  to  go  ashore.  The  manner  in  which  I  gratified  this 
wish,  and  the  consequences  to  which  it  led.  will  be  seen  in 
he  sequel.  , 


88  NED    MYERS;    OR, 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

JACK  MALLET  had  long  known  my  history.  He  was 
my  confidant,  and  entered  into  all  my  feelings.  The  night 
we  went  to  duty  on  board  the  transport,  a  boat  was  lying 
alongside  of  the  ship,  and  the  weather  being  thick,  it  afforded 
a  good  opportunity  for  gratifying  my  longing.  Jack  and 
myself  got  in,  after  putting  our  heads  together,  and  stole  off 
undetected.  I  pulled  directly  up  to  the  wharf  of  Mr.  Mar- 
chinton,  and  at  once  found  myself  at  home.  I  will  not  pre 
tend  to  describe  my  sensations,  but  they  were  a  strange 
mixture  of  apprehension,  disquiet,  hope,  and  natural  attach 
ment.  I  wished  much  to  see  my  sister,  but  was  afraid  to 
venture  on  that. 

There  was  a  family,  however,  of  the  name  of  Fraser,  that 
lived  near  the  shore,  with  which  I  had  been  well  acquainted, 
and  in  whose  members  1  had  great  confidence.  They  were 
respectable  in  position,  its  head  being  called  a  judge,  and 
they  were  all  intimate  with  the  Marchintons.  To  the  Fra- 
sers,  then,  I  went ;  Jack  keeping  me  company.  I  was 
afraid,  if  I  knocked,  the  servant  would  not  let  me  in,  ap 
pearing,  as  I  did,  in  the  dress  of  a  common  sailor ;  so  I 
opened  the  street-door  without  any  ceremony,  and  went 
directly  to  that  of  the  parlour,  which  I  entered  before  there 
was  time  to  stop  me.  Jack  brought  up  in  the  entry. 

Mrs.  Fraser  and  her  daughter  were  seated  together,  on  a 
settee,  and  the  judge  was  reading  at  a  table.  My  sudden 
apparition  astonished  them,  and  all  three  gazed  at  me  in 
silence.  Mr.  Fraser  then  said,  "  In  the  name  of  heaven, 
where  did  you  come  from,  Edward !"  I  told  him  I  had 
been  in  the  American  service,  but  that  I  now  belonged  to  an 
English  transport  that  was  to  sail  in  the  morning,  and  that 
I  had  just  come  ashore  to  inquire  how  all  hands  did  ;  par 
ticularly  my  sister.  He  told  me  that  my  sister  was  living, 
a  married  woman,  in  Halifax ;  that  Mr.  Marchinton  was 
dead,  and  had  grieved  very  much  at  my  disappearance ; 
that  I  was  supposed  to  be  dead.  He  then  gave  me  much 
advice  as  to  my  future  course,  and  reminded  me  how  much 
I  had  lost  by  my  early  mistakes.  He  was  particularly 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  89 

anxious  I  should  quit  my  adopted  country,  and  wished  me 
to  remain  in  Haliiax.  He  offered  to  send  a  servant  with 
me  to  find  my  sister,  but  I  was  afraid  to  let  my  presence  be 
known  to  so  many.  I  begged  my  visit  might  be  kept  a 
secret,  as  I  felt  ashamed  of  being  seen  in  so  humble  circum 
stances.  I  was  well  treated,  as  was  Jack  Mallet,  both  of 
us  receiving  wine  and  cake,  &c.  Mr.  Fraser  also  gave  me 
a  guinea,  and  as  I  went  away,  Mrs.  Fraser  slipped  a  pound 
note  into  my  hand.  The  latter  said  to  me,  in  a  whisper — 
"  I  know 'what  you  are  afraid  of,  but  I  shall  tell  Harriet  of 
your  visit ;  she  will  be  secret." 

I  staid  about  an  hour,  receiving  every  mark  of  kindness 
from  these  excellent  and  respectable  people,  leaving  them  to 
believe  we  were  to  sail  in  the  morning.  When  we  got 
back  to  the  transport  no  one  knew  of  our  absence,  and  no 
thing  was  ever  said  of  our  taking  the  boat.  The  Regulus 
did  not  sail  for  twenty  hours  after  this,  but  I  had  no  more 
communication  with  the  shore.  We  got  to  sea,  at  last,  two 
transports,  under  the  convoy  of  the  Pictou. 

During  the  whole  passage,  we  eight  prisoners  kept  a  sharp 
look-out  for  a  chance  to  get  possession  of  the  ship.  We 
were  closely  watched,  there  being  a  lieutenant  and  his  boat's 
crew  on  board,  besides  the  Canadians,  the  master,  mate,  &c. 
All  the  arms  were  secreted,  and  nothing  was  left  at  hand, 
that  we  could  use  in  a  rising. 

About  mid  passage,  it  blowing  fresh,  with  the  ship  under 
double-reefed  topsails,  I  was  at  the  weather,  with  one  of  the 
Canadians  at  the  lee,  wheel.  Mallet  was  at  work  in  the  lar 
board,  or  weather,  mizen  chains,  ready  to  lend  me  a  hand. 
At  this  moment  the  Pictou  came  up  under  our  lee,  to  speak 
us  in  relation  to  carrying  a  light  during  the  night.  Her 
masts  swung  so  she  could  not  carry  one 'herself,  and  her 
commander  wished  us  to  carry  our  top-light,  he  keeping  near 
it,  instead  of  our  keeping  near  him.  The  schooner  came 
very  close  to  us,  it  blowing  heavily,  and  Mallet  called  out, 
"  Ned,  now  is  your  time.  Up  helm  and  into  him.  A  couple 
of  seas  will  send  him  down."  This  was  said  loud  enough 
to  be  heard,  though  all  on  deck  were  attending  to  the 
schooner ;  and,  as  for  the  Canadian,  he  did  not  understand 
English.  I  managed  to  get  the  helm  hard  up,  and  Mallet 
jumped  inboard.  The  ship  fell  off  fast ;  but  the  lieutenant, 


90  NED    MYERS;    on, 

who  was  on  board  as  an  agent,  was  standing  in  the  compa* 
nion-way  with  his  wife,  and,  the  instant  he  saw  what  I  had 
done,  he  ran  aft,  struck  me  a  sharp  blow,  and  put  the  helm 
hard  down  with  his  own  hands.  This  saved  the  Pictou, 
though  there  was  a  great  outcry  on  board  her.  The  lieu 
tenant's  wife  screamed,  and  there  was  a  pretty  uproar  for  a 
mimUe,  in  every  direction.  As  the  Regulus  lurfed-to,  her 
jib-boom-end  just  cleared  the  Pictou's  forward  rigging,  and 
a  man  might  almost  have  jumped  from  the  ship  to  the 
schooner,  as  we  got  alongside  of  each  other.  Another  mi 
nute,  and  we  should  have  travelled  over  His  Majesty's 
schooner,  like  a  rail-road  car  going  over  a  squash. 

The  lieutenant  now  denounced  us,  and  we  prisoners  were 
all  put  in  irons.  I  am  merely  relating  facts.  How  far  we 
were  right,  I  leave  others  to  decide ;  but  it  must  be  remem 
bered  that  Jack  had,  in  that  day,  a  mortal  enmity  to  a  British 
man-of-war,  which  was  a  little  too  apt  to  lay  hands  on  all 
that  she  fell  in  with,  on  the  high  seas.  Perhaps  severe  mo 
ralists  might  say  that  we  had  entered  into  a  bargain  with  the 
captain  of  the  Regulus,  not  to  make  war  on  him  during  the 
passage ;  in  answer  to  which,  we  can  reply  that  we  were 
not  attacking  him,  but  the  Pictou.  Our  intention,  it  must 
be  confessed,  however,  was  to  seize  the  Regulus  in  the  con 
fusion.  Had  we  been  better  treated  as  prisoners,  our  tem 
pers  might  not  have  been  so  savage.  But  we  got  no  good 
treatment,  except  for  our  own  work ;  and,  being  hedged  in 
in  this  manner,  common  sailors  reason  very  much  as  they 
feel.  We  were  not  permitted  to  go  at  large  again,  in  the 
Regulus,  in  which  the  English  were  very  right,  as  Jack 
Mallet,  in  particular,  was  a  man  to  put  his  shipmates  up  to 
almost  any  enterprise. 

The  anchor  was  hardly  down,  at  Bermuda,  before  a  signal 
was  made  to  the  Goliah,  razee,  for  a  boat,  and  we  were  sent 
on  board  that  ship.  This  was  a  cruising  vessel,  and  she 
went  to  sea  next  morning.  We  were  distributed  about  the 
ship,  and  ordered  to  go  to  work.  The  intention,  evidently, 
was  to  swallow  us  all  in  the  enormous  maw  of  the  British 
navy.  We  refused  to  do  duty,  however,  to  a  man ;  most 
of  our  fellows  being  pretty  bold,  as  native  Americans.  We 
were  a  fortnight  in  this  situation,  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
playing  green,  with  our  tin  pots  slung  round  ou^  necks.  We 


A     LIFE      HKFORE     THE     MAST.  91 

did  so  much  of  this,  tha\  the  people  began  to  laugh  at  us,  us 
real  Johnny  Raws,  though  the  old  salts  knew  better.  The 
last  even  helped  us  aiong,  some  giving  us  clothes,  extra  grog, 
and  otherwise  being  >si*y  kind  to  us.  The  office;  i,  treated 
us  pretty  well,  too,  all  thuigs  considered.  None  of  us  got 
flogged,  nor  were  we  evea  threatened  with  the  gangway. 
At  length  the  plan  was  changed.  The  boatswain  was  asked 
if  he  got  anything  out  of  us,  and,  making  a  bad  report,  we 
were  sent  down  to  the  lower  gun-deck,  under  a  sentry's 
charge,  and  put  at  "  six  upon  four,"  again.  Here  we  remained 
until  the  ship  went  into  Bermuda,  aller  a  six  weeks'  cruise. 
This  vessel^  an  old  seventy-four  cut  down,  did  not  answer, 
for  she  was  soon  after  sent  to  England.  I  overheard  her 
officers,  from  our  berth  near  the  bulkhead,  wishing  to  fall  in 
with  the  President,  Commodore  Rodgers — a  vessel  they  fan 
cied  they  could  easily  handle.  I  cannot  say  they  could  not, 
but  one  day  an  elderly  man  among  them  spoke  very  ration 
ally  on  the  subject,  saying,  they  might,  or  they  might  not 
get  the  best  of  it  in  such  a  fight.  For  his  part,  he  did  not 
wish  to  see  any  such  craft,  with  the  miserable  crew  they  had 
in  the  Goliah. 

We  found  the  Ramilies,  Sir  Thomas  Hardy,  lying  in 
Bermuda  roads.  This  ship  sent  a  boat,  which  took  us 
on  board  the  Ardent,  G4,  which  was  then  used  as  a  prison- 
ship.  About  a  week  before  we  reached  this  vessel  an 
American  midshipman  got  hold  of  a  boat,  and  effected  his 
escape,  actually  making  the  passage  between  Bermuda  and 
Cape  Henry  all  alone,  by  himself.*  In  consequence  of  this 
unusual  occurrence,  a  bright  look  out  was  kept  on  all  the 
boats,  thus  defeating  one  of  our  plans,  wliich  was  to  get  off 
in  the  same  way.  When  we  reached  the  Ardent,  we  found 
but  four  Americans  in  her.  After  we  had  been  on  board 
her  about  a  week,  three  men  joined  us,  who  had  given 
themselves  up  on  board  English  men-of-war,  as  native 
Americans.  One  of  these  men,  whose  name  was  Baily, 
had  been  fourteen  years  in  the  English  service,  into  which 
he  had  been  pressed,  his  protection  having  been  torn  up  be 
fore  his  face.  He  was  a  Connecticut  man,  and  had  given 

*  The  name  of  this  young  officer  was  King.  He  is  now  dead, 
having  been  lost  in  the  Lynx,  Li.  Madison.  —  EDITOF. 


92  NED    MYERS;    on, 

himself  up  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  getting  ihree 
dozen  for  his  pains.  He  was  then  sent  on  the  Halifax  sta 
tion,  where  he  gave  himself  up  again.  He  received  three 
dozen  more,  then  had  his  shirt  thrown  over  his  back  and 
was  sent  to  us.  I  saw  the  back  and  the  shirt,  myself,  and 
Baily  said  he  would  keep  the  last  to  be  buried  with  him. 
Bradbury  and  Patrick  were  served  very  much  in  the  same 
manner.  I  saw  all  their  backs,  and  give  the  remainder  of 
the  story,  as  they  gave  it  to  me.  Baily  and  Bradbury  got 
off  in  season  to  join  the  Constitution,  and  to  make  the  last 
cruise  in  her  during  this  war.  I  afterwards  fell  in  with 
Bradbury,  who  mentioned  this  circumstance  to  rne. 

It  is  good  to  have  these  things  known,  for  I  do  believe  the 
English  nation  would  be  averse  to  men's  receiving  such 
treatment,  could  they  fairly  be  made  to  understand  it.  It 
surely  is  bad  enough  to  be  compelled  to  fight  the  battles  of 
a  foreign  country,  without  being  flogged  for  not  fighting 
them  when  they  happen  to  be  against  one's  own  people.  For 
myself,  I  was  born,  of  German  parents,  in  the  English  ter 
ritory,  it  is  true ;  but  America  was,  and  ever  has  been,  the 
country  of  my  choice,  and,  while  yet  a  child,  I  may  say,  I 
decided  for  myself  to  sail  under  the  American  flag;  and,  if 
my  father  had  a  right  to  make  an  Englishman  of  me,  by 
taking  service  under  the  English  crown,  I  think  I  had  a 
right  to  make  myself  what  I  pleased,  when  he  had  left  me 
10  get  on  as  I  could,  without  his  counsel  and  advice. 

After  being  about  three  weeks  in  the  Ardent,  we  eight 
prisoners  were  sent  on  board  the  Rarnilies,  to  be  tried  as 
Englishmen  who  had  been  fighting  against  their  king.  The 
trial  took  place  on  board  the  Asia,  74,  a  flag-ship ;  but  we 
ived  in  the  Ramilies,  during  the  time  the  investigation  was 
going  on.  Sir  Thomas  Hardy  held  several  conversations 
with  me,  on  the  quarter-deck,  in  which  he  manifested  great 
kindness  of  feeling.  He  inquired  whether  I  was  really  an 
American  ;  but  I  -evaded  any  direct  answer.  I  told  him, 
however,  that  I  had  been  an  apprentice,  in  New  York,  in 
the  employment  of  Jacob  Barker ;  which  was  true,  in  one 
sense,  as  Mr.  Barker  was  the  consignee  of  the  Sterling,  and 
knew  of  my  indentures.  I  mentioned  him,  as  a  person 
more  likely  to  be  known  than  Captain  Johnston.  Sir  Tho 
mas  said  he  had  some  knowledge  of  Mr.  Barker ;  and,  I 


A    LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  93 

Jiink,  I  have  heard  that  they  were,  in  some  way,  connected 
This  was  laying  an  anchor  to- windward,  as  it  turned  out,  in 
.he  end. 

We  were  all  on  board  the  Asia,  for  trial,  or  investigation, 
two  days,  before  I  was  sent  for  into  the  cabin.  I  was  very 
much  frightened  ;  and  scarce  knew  what  I  said,  or  did.  It  is 
a  cruel  thing  to  leave  sailors  without  counsel,  on  such  occa 
sions  ;  though  the  officers  behaved  very  kindly  and  conside 
rately  to  me ;  and,  I  believe,  to  all  of  us.  There  were 
several  officers  seated  round  a  table ;  and  all  were  in  swabs. 
They  said,  the  gentleman  who  presided,  was  a  Sir  Borlase 
Warren,  the  admiral  on  the  station.*  This  gentleman, 
whoever  he  was,  probably  saw  that  I  was  frightened.  He 
slewed  himself  round,  in  his  chair,  and  said  to  me ;  "  My 
man,  you  need  not  be  alarmed ;  we  know  who  you  are,  and 
what  you  are ;  but  your  apprenticeship  will  be  of  great  ser 
vice  to  you."  This  was  not  said,  however,  until  Sir  Thomas 
Hardy  had  got  out  the  story  of  my  being  an  apprentice  in 
Jacob  Barker's  employ,  again,  before  them  all,  in  the  cabin. 
I  was  told  to  send  for  a  copy  of  my  indentures,  by  one  of 
the  white-washed  Swedes,  that  sailed  between  Bermuda  and 
New  York.  This  I  did,  that  very  day.  I  was  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Asia,  half  an  hour,  perhaps  ;  and  I  felt  greatly  relieved, 
when  I  got  out  of  it.  It  was  decided,  in  my  presence,  to 
send  me  oack  among  the  prisoners,  on  board  the  Ardent. 
The  same  decision  was  made,  as  to  the  whole  eight  of  ,is, 
that  had  come  on  in  the  Regulus. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  Ramilies,  Sir  Thomas  Hardy 
had  some  more  conversation  with  me.  I  have  thought,  ever 
since,  that  he  knew  something  about  my  birth,  and  of  my 
being  the  prince's  godson.  He  wished  me  to  join  the  British 
service,  seemingly,  very  much,  and  encouraged  me  with  the 
hope  of  being  promoted.  But,  it  is  due  to  myself,  to  say,  I 
held  out  against  it  all.  I  do  not  believe  America  had  a 
truer  heart,  in  her  service,  than  mine ;  and  I  do  not  think  an 
English  commission  would  have  bought  me.  I  have  nothing 

*  If  this  be  true,  this  could  hardly  have  been  a  court,  but  must  have 
been  a  mere  investigation  ;  as  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren  was  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  would  scarcely  sit  in  a  court  of  his  own  order 
ing.  —  EDITOR. 


94  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

to  hope,  from  saying  this,  for  I  am  now  old,  and  a  cripple 
.but,  as  I  have  sat  down  to  relate  the  truth,  let  the  truth  be 
told,  whether  it  tell  for,  or  against  me. 

We  were  now  sent  back  to  the  Ardent ;  where  we  re- 
mained  three  weeks,  or  a  month,  longer.  During  this  time 
we  got  our  papers  from  New  York ;  I  receiving  a  copy  of 
my  indentures,  together  with  the  sum  of  ten  dollars ;  which 
reached  me  through  Sir  Thomas  Hardy,  as  I  understood. 
Nothing  more  was  ever  said,  to  any  of  the  eight,  about  their 
being  Englishmen  ;  the  whole  of  us  being  treated  as  prisoners 
of  war.  Prisoners  arrived  fast,  until  we  had  four  hundred 
in  the  Ardent.  The  old  Ruby,  a  forty-four,  on  two  decks, 
was  obliged  to  receive  some  of  them.  Most  of  these  prisoners 
were  privateersmen ;  though  there  were  a  few  soldiers,  and 
some  citizens  that  had^een  picked  up  in  Chesapeake  Bay. 
Before  we  left  Bermuda,  the  crew  of  a  French  frigate  was 
put  into  the  Ardent,  to  the  number  of  near  four  hundred 
men.  In  the  whole,  we  must  have  had  eight  hundred  souls, 
and  all  on  one  deck.  This  was  close  stowage,  and  I  was 
heartily  glad  when  I  quitted  the  ship. 

Soon  after  the  French  arrived,  four  hundred  of  us  Ameri 
cans  were  put  on  board  transports,  and  we  sailed  for  Hali 
fax,  under  the  convoy  of  the  Ramilies.  A  day  or  two  after 
we  got  out,  we  fell  in  with  an  American  privateer,  which 
continued  hovering  around  us  for  several  days.  As  this 
was  a  bold  fellow,  frequently  coming  within  gun-shot,  and 
sporting  his  sticks  and  canvass  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  Sir 
Thomas  Hardy  felt  afraid  he  would  get  one  of  the  four 
transports,  and  he  took  all  us  prisoners  into  the  Ramilies. 
We  staid  in  the  ship  the  rest  of  the  passage,  and  when  we 
went  into  Halifax  it  was  all  alone,  the  four  transports  hav 
ing  disappeared.  Two  of  them  subsequently  got  in  ;  but  1 
think  the  other  two  were  actually  taken  by  that  saucy 
fellow. 

The  prisoners,  at  first,  had  great  liberty  allowed  them,  on 
board  the  Ramilies.  On  all  occasions,  Sir  Thomas  Hardy 
treated  the  Americans  well.  A  party  of  marines  was  sta 
tioned  on  the  poop,  and  another  on  the  forecastle,  and  the 
ship's  people  had  arms ;  but  this  was  all  the  precaution  that 
was  used.  The  opportunity  tempted  some  of  our  men  to 
plan  a  rising,  with  a  view  to  seize  the  ship.  Privateei 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  95 

officers  were  at  the  head  of  this  scheme,  which  was  com 
municated  to  me,  among  others,  soon  after  the  plot  was  laid. 
Most  of  the  prisoners  knew  of  the  intention,  and  everybody 
seemed  to  enter  into  the  affair  with  hearty  good-will.  Our 
design  was  to  rise  at  the  end  of  the  second  dog-watch,  over 
come  the  crew,  and  carry  the  ship  upon  our  own  coast.  If 
unable  to  pass  the  blockading  squadrons,  we  intended  to  run 
her  ashore.  The  people  of  the  Ramilies  outnumbered  us  by 
near  one-half,  and  they  had  arms,  it  is  true ;  but  we  trusted 
to  the  effect  of  a  surprise,  and  something  to  the  disposition 
of  most  English  sailors  to  get  quit  of  their  own  service. 
Had  the  attempt  been  made,  from  what  I  saw  of  the  crew, 
I  think  our  main  trouble  would  have  been  with  the  officers 
and  the  marines.  We  were  prevented  from  trying  the  ex 
periment,  however,  in  consequence  of  having  been  betrayed 
by  some  one  who  was  in  the  secret,  the  whole  of  us  being 
suddenly  sent  into  the  cable  tiers  and  amongst  the  water 
casks,  under  the  vigilant  care  of  sentinels  posted  in  the 
wings.  After  that,  we  were  allowed  to  come  on  deck  sin 
gly,  only,  and  then  under  a  sentinel's  charge.  When  Sir 
Thomas  spoke  to  us  concerning  this  change  of  treatment, 
he  did  not  abuse  us  for  our  plan,  but  was  mild  and  reason 
able,  while  he  reminded  us  of  the  necessity  of  what  he  was 
doing.  I  have  no  idea  he  would  have  been  in  the  least 
injured,  had  we  got  possession  of  the  ship ;  for,  to  the  last, 
our  people  praised  him,  and  the  treatment  they  received, 
while  under  his  orders. 

Before  we  were  sent  below,  Sir  Thomas  spoke  to  me 
again,  on  the  subject  of  my  joining  the  English  service.  He 
was  quite  earnest  about  it,  and  reasoned  with  me  like  a 
father ;  but  I  was  determined  not  to  yield.  I  did  not  like 
England,  and  I  did  like  America.  My  birth  in  Quebec  was 
a  thing  I  could  not  help ;  but  having  chosen  to  serve  under 
the  American  flag,  and  having  done  so  now  for  years,  I  did 
not  choose  to  go  over  to  the  enemy. 

At  Halifax,  fifteen  or  twenty  of  us  were  sent  on  board  the 
old  Centurion,  44,  Lord  Anson's  .ship,  as  retaliation-men. 
We  eight  were  of  the  number.  We  found  something  like 
thirty  more  in  the  ship,  all  retaliation-men,  like  ourselves. 
Those  we  found  in  the  Centurion  did  not  appear  to  me  to 
be  foremast  Jacks,  but  struck  me  as  being1  citizens  from 


96  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

ashore.  We  were  well  treated,  however,  suffering  no  other 
confinement  than  that  of  the  ship.  We  were  on  "  six  upon 
four,"  it  is  true,  like  other  prisoners,  but  our  own  country 
gave  us  small  stores,  and  extra  bread  and  beef.  In  the  way 
of  grub,  we  fared  like  sailor  kings.  At  the  end  of  three 
weeks,  we  eight  lakesmen  were  sent  to  Melville  Island, 
among  the  great  herd  of  prisoners.  I  cannot  explain  the 
reason  of  all  these  changes ;  but  I  know  that  when  the  gate 
was  shut  on  us,  the  turnkey  said  we  had  gone  into  a  home 
that  would  last  as  long  as  the  war  lasted. 

Melville  is  an  island  of  more  than  a  mile  in  circumference, 
with  low,  rocky  shores.  It  lies  about  three  miles  from  the 
town  of  Halifax,  but  not  in  sight.  It  is  connected  with  the 
main  by  a  bridge  that  is  thrown  across  a  narrow  passage 
of  something  like  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  In  the  cen 
tre  of  the  island  is  an  eminence,  which  was  occupied  by  the 
garrison,  and  had  some  artillery.  This  eminence  com 
manded  the  whole  island.  Another  post  on  the  main,  also, 
commanded  the  prisoners'  barracks.  These  barracks  were 
ordinary  wooden  buildings,  enclosed  on  the  side  of  the  island 
with  a  strong  stone  wall,  and  on  the  side  of  the  post  on  the 
main,  by  high,  open  palisades.  Of  course,  a  sufficient  guard 
was  maintained. 

It  was  said  there  were  about  twelve  hundred  Americans 
on  the  island,  when  I  passed  the  gate.  Among  them  were 
a  few  French,  some  of  whom  were  a  part  of  the  crew  of  the 
Ville  de  Milan,  the  ship  that  had  been  taken  before  I  first 
left  Halifax  ;  or  more  than  eight  years  previously  to  this  time. 
This  did,  indeed,  look  like  the  place's  being  a  home  to  a 
poor  fellow,  and  I  did  not  relish  the  circumstance  at  all. 
Among  our  people  were  soldiers,  sailors,  and  'long-shore 
men.  There  was  no  difference  in  the  treatment,  which,  for 
a  prison,  was  good.  We  got  only  "  six  upon  four"  from  the 
English,  of  course  ;  but  our  own  country  made  up  the  differ 
ence  here,  as  on  board  the  Centurion.  They  had  a  prison 
dress,  with  one  leg  of  the  trowsers  yellow  and  the  other  blue, 
&c. ;  but  we  would  not  stand  that.  Our  agent  managed  the 
matter  so  that  we  got  regular  jackets  and  trowsers  of  the 
true  old  colour.  The  poor  Frenchmen  looked  like  pea 
cocks  in  their  dress,  but  we  did  not  envy  them  their  finery. 

I  had  been  on  the  island  about  a  fortnight,  when  I  was 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE    MAST.  97 

»old  by  Jack  Mallet  that  a  woman,  whom  he  thought  to  be 
my  sister,  was  at  the  gate.  Jack  knew  my  whole  history, 
and  came  to  his  opinion  from  a  resemblance  that  he  saw 
between  me  and  the  person  who  had  inquired  for  me.  I 
refused  to  go  to  the  gate,  however,  to  see  who  it  was,  and 
Jack  was  sent  back  to  tell  the  woman  that  I  had  been  left 
behind  at  Bermuda.  He  was  directed  to  throw  in  a  few 
hints  about  the  expediency  of  her  not  coming  back  to  look 
for  me,  and  that  it  would  be  better  if  she  never  named  me. 
All  this  was  done,  I  getting  a  berth  from  which  I  could  see 
the  female.  I  knew  her  in  a  moment,  although  she  was 
married,  and  had  a  son  with  her,  and  my  heart  was  very 
near  giving  way,  especially  when  I  saw  her  shedding 
tears.  She  went  away  from  the  gate,  however,  going  up 
on  the  ramparts,  from  which  she  could  look  down  into  the 
prison-yard.  There  she  remained  an  hour,  as  if  she  wished 
to  satisfy  her  own  eyes  as  to  the  truth  of  Jack's  story ;  but  I 
took  good  care  to  keep  out  of  her  sight. 

As  I  knew  there  was  little  hope  of  an  exchange  of  pri 
soners,  I  now  began  to  think  of  the  means  of  making  my 
escape.  Jack  Mallet  dared  not  attempt  to  swim,  on  ac 
count  of  the  rheumatism  and  cramps,  having  narrowly  es 
caped  drowning  at  Bermuda,  and  he  could  not  join  in  our 
schemes.  As  for  myself,  I  have  been  able  to  swim  ever 
since  danger  taught  me  the  important  lesson,  the  night  the 
Scourge  went  down.  Money  would  be  necessary  to  aid  me 
in  escaping,  and  Jack  and  I  put  our  heads  together,  in  order 
to  raise  some.  I  had  still  the  ten  dollars  given  me  by  Sir 
Thomas  Hardy,  and  I  commenced  operations  by  purchasing 
shares  in  a  dice-board,  a  vingt  et  un  table,  and  a  quino 
table.*  Jack  Mallet  and  I,  also,  set  up  a  shop,  on  a  capital 
of  three  dollars.  We  sold  smoked  herring,  pipes,  tobacco, 
segars,  spruce  beer,  and,  as  chances  of  smuggling  it  in 
offered,  now  and  then  a  little  Jamaica.  All  this  time,  the 
number  of  the  prisoners  increased,  until,  in  the  end,  we  got 
to  have  a  full  prison,  when  they  began  to  send  them  to  Eng 
land.  Only  one  of  the  Julias  was  sent  away,  however,  all 
the  rest  remaining  at  Melville  Island,  from  some  cause  I 
cannot  explain. 

*  Ned  means  Loto,  probably.  —  EDITOR. 


08  NED    MYERS;    on, 

I  cannot  say  we  made  money  very  fast.  On  every  shil 
ling  won  at  dice,  we  received  a  penny ;  at  vingt  et  un,  the 
commission  was  the  same ;  as  it  was  also  at  the  other 
games.  New  cards,  however,  brought  a  little  higher  rate. 
All  this  was  wrong  I  now  know,  but  then  it  gave  me  very 
little  trouble.  I  hope  I  would  not  do  the  same  thing  over 
again,  even  to  make  my  escape  from  Melville  Island,  but 
one  never  knows  to  what  distress  may  drive  him. 

Some  person  among  the  American  prisoners — a  soldier  it 
was  said  —  commenced  counterfeiting  Spanish  dollars.  I 
am  afraid  most  of  us  helped  to  circulate  them.  We  thought 
it  no  harm  to  cheat  the  people  of  the  canteens,  for  we  knew 
they  were  doing  all  they  could  to  cheat  us.  This  was  pri- 
son  morality,  in  war-time,  and  I  say  nothing  in  its  favour ; 
though,  for  myself,  I  will  own  I  felt  more  of  the  conscious 
ness  of  wrong-doing  in  holding  the  shares  in  the  gambling 
establishments,  than  in  giving  bad  dollars  for  poor  rum. 
The  counterfeiting  business  was  destroyed  by  one  of  the 
dollars  happening  to  break,  as  some  of  the  officers  were 
pitching  them ;  when,  on  examination,  it  turned  out  that 
most  of  the  money  in  the  prison  was  bad.  It  was  said  the 
people  of  the  canteens  had  about  four  hundred  of  the  dollars 
when  they  came  to  overhaul  their  lockers.  A  good  many 
found  their  way  into  Halifax. 

My  trade  lasted  all  winter— (that  of  1813—14,)  and  by 
March  I  had  gained  the  sum  of  eighty  French  crowns. 
Dollars  I  was  afraid  to  hold  on  account  of  the  base  money. 
The  ice  now  began  to  give  way,  and  a  few  of  us,  who  had 
been  discussing  the  matter  all  winter,  set  about  forming  se 
rious  plans  to  escape.  My  confederates  were  a  man  of  the 
name  of  Johnson,  who  had  been  taken  in  the  Snapdragon 
privateer,  and  an  Irishman  of  the  name  of  Littlefield.  Bar- 
net,  the'Mozambique  man,  joined  us  also,  making  four  in  all. 
It  was  quite  early  in  the  month,  when  we  made  the  attempt. 
Our  windows  were  long,  and  had  perpendicular  bars  of 
wrought  iron  to  secure  them,  but  no  cross-bars.  There  was 
no  glass  ;  but  outside  shutters,  that  we  could  open  at  our 
pleasure.  Outside  of  the  windows  were  sentinels,  and  there 
were  two  rows  of  pickets  between  us  and  the  shore. 

I  put  my  crowns  in  a  belt  around  my  waist.  Another 
belt,  or  skin,  was  filled  with  rum,  for  the  double  purpose 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  09 

of  buoying  me  in  the  water,  and  of  comforting  me  when 
ashore.  At  that  day,  I  found  rum  one  of  the  great  blessings 
of  life ;  now  I  look  upon  it  as  one  of  the  greatest  evils.  My 
companions  made  similar  provisions  of  money  and  rum, 
though  neither  was  as  rich  as  myself.  I  left  Mallet  and 
Leonard  Lewis  my  heirs  at  law  if  I  escaped,  and  my  trus 
tees  should  I  be  caught.  Lewis  was  a  young  man  of  better 
origin  than  most  in  the  prison,  and  I  have  always  thought 
some  calamity  drove  him  to  the  seas.  He  was  in  ill  health, 
and  did  not  appear  to  be  destined  to  a  long  life.  He  would 
have  joined  us,  heart  and  hand,  but  was  not  strong  enough 
to  endure  the  fatigue  which  we  well  knew  we  must  undergo, 
before  we  could  get  clear.  . 

The  night  selected  for  the  attempt  was  so  cold,  dark,  and 
dismal,  as  to  drive  all  the  sentinels  into  their  boxes.  It 
rained  hard,  in  the  bargain.  About  eight,  or  as  soon  as  the 
Jights  were  out,  we  got  the  lanyards  of  our  hammocks 
around  two  of  the  window  bars,  and  using  a  bit  of  fire- wood 
for  a  heaver,  we  easily  brought  them  together.  This  left 
room  for  our  bodies  to  pass  out,  without  any  difficulty.  Jack 
Mallet,  and  those  we  left  behind,  hove  thfl  bars  straight 
again,  so  that  the  keepers  were  at  a  loss  to  know  how  we 
had  got  off.  We  met  with  no  obstacle  between  the  prison 
and  the  water.  The  pickets  we  removed,  having  cut  them 
in  the  day-time.  In  a  word,  all  four  of  us  reached  the  shore 
of  the  Island  in  two  or  three  minutes  after  we  had  taken 
leave  of  our  messmates.  The  difficulty  lay  before  us.  We 
entered  into  the  water,  at  once,  and  began  to  swim.  When 
I  was  a  few  rods  from  the  place  of  landing,  which  was  quite 
near  the  guard-house,  on  the  main,  Johnson  began  to  sing 
out  that  he  was  drowning.  I  told  him  to  be  quiet,  but  it  was 
of  no  use.  The  guard  on  the  main  heard  him,  and  com 
menced  firing,  and  of  course  we  swam  all  the  harder. 
Three  of  us  were  soon  ashore,  and,  knowing  the  roads  well, 
I  led  them  in  a  direction  to  avoid  the  soldiers.  By  running 
into  the  woods,  we  got  clear,  though  poor  Johnson  fell  again 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  deserved  it  for  bawling  as 
he  did  ;  it  being  the  duty  of  a  man  in  such  circumstances  to 
die  with  a  shut  mouth. 


iOO  NED   MYERS;   OR 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  three  who  had  escaped  ran,  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
in  the  woods,  when  we  brought  up,  and  took  a  drink.  Hear 
ing  no  more  firing,  or  any  further  alarm,  we  now  consulted 
as  to  our  future  course.  There  were  some  mills  at  the  head 
of  the  bay,  about  four  miles  from  the  guard-house,  and  I  led 
the  party  thither.  We  reached  the  place  towards  morning,  and 
found  a  berth  in  them  before  any  one  was  stirring.  We  hid 
ourselves  in  an  old  granary ;  but  no  person  appeared  near 
the  place  throughout  the  next  day.  We  had  put  a  little 
bread  and  a  few  herrings  in  our  hats,  and  on  these  we  sub 
sisted.  The  rum  cheered  us  up,  and,  if  rum  ever  did  good, 
I  think  it  was  to  us  on  that  occasion.  We  slept  soundlyj* 
with  one  man  on  the  look-out ;  a  rule  we  observed  the  whole 
time  we  were  out.  It  stopped  raining  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  though  the  weather  was  bitter  cold. 

Next  night  we  got  under  way,  and  walked  in  a  direction 
which  led  us  within  three  miles  of  the  town.  In  doing  this, 
we  passed  the  Prince's  Lodge,  a  place  where  I  had  often 
been,  and  the  sight  of  which  reminded  me  of  home,  and  of 
my  childish  days.  *  There  was  no  use  in  regrets,  however, 
and  we  pushed  ahead.  The  men  saw  my  melancholy,  and 
they  questioned  me ;  but  I  evaded  the  answer,  pretending 
that  nothing  ailed  me.  There  was  a  tavern  about  a  league 
from  the  town,  kept  by  a  man  of  the  name  of  Grant,  and 
Littlefield  ventured  into  it.  He  bought  a  small  cheese  and  a 
loaf  of  bread ;  getting  off  clear,  though  not  unsuspected. 
This  helped  us  along  famously,  and  we  pushed  on  as  fast  as 
we  could.  Before  morning  we  came  near  a  bridge,  on  which 
there  was  a  sentinel  posted,  with  a  guard-house  near  its  end. 
To  avoid  this  danger,  we  turned  the  guard-house,  striking 
the  river  above  the  bridge.  Here  we  met  two  Indians,  and 
fell  into  discourse  with  them.  Our  rum  now  served  us  a 
better  turn  than  ever,  buying  the  Indians  in  a  minute.  We 
told  these  chaps  we  were  deserters  from  the  Bulwark,  74, 
and  begged  them  to  help  us  along.  At  first,  they  thought 
we  were  Yankees,  whom  they  evidently  disliked,  and  that 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  101 

right  heartily ;  but  the  story  of  the  desertion  took,  and  made 
them  disposed  to  serve  us. 

These  two  Indians  led  us  down  to  the  bed  of  the  river, 
and  actually  carried  us  beneath  the  bridge,  on  the  side  of 
the  river  next  the  guard,  where  we  found  a  party  of  about 
thirty  of  these  red-skins,  men,  women  and  children.  Here 
we  stayed  no  less  than  three  days ;  faring  extremely  well, 
having  fish,  bread,  butter,  and  other  common  food.  The 
weather  was  very  bad,  and  we  did  not  like  to  turn  out  in  it, 
besides,  thinking  the  search  for  us  might  be  less  keen  after 
a  short  delay.  All  this  time,  we  were  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  guard,  hearing  the  sentinels  cry  "  all's  well,"  from  half- 
hour  to  half-hour.  We  were  free  with  our  rum,  and,  a» 
much  as  we  dared  to  be,  with  our  money.  These  people 
never  betrayed  us. 

The  third  night  we  left  the  bridge,  guided  by  a  young 
Indian.  He  led  us  about  two  miles  up  the  river,  passing 
through  the  Maroon  town  in  the  night,  after  which  he  left 
us.  We  wished  him  to  keep  on  with  us  for  some  distance 
further,  but  he  refused.  He  quitted  us  near  morning,  and 
we  turned  into  a  deserted  log-house,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  where  we  passed  the  day.  The  country  was  thinly 
populated,  and  the  houses  we  saw  were  poor  and  mean. 
We  must  now  have  been  about  five-and-twenty  miles  from 
Halifax. 

Our  object  was  to  cross  the  neck  of  land  between  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  to  get  to  Annapolis 
Royal,  where  we  expected  to  be  able  to  procure  a  boat,  by 
fair  means  if  we  could,  by  stealth  if  necessary,  and  cross 
over  to  the  American  shore.  We  had  still  a  long  road  be 
fore  us,  and  had  some  little  difficulty  to  find  the  way.  The 
Indians,  however,  gave  us  directions  that  greatly  assisted 
us ;  and  we  travelled  a  long  bit,  and  pretty  fast  all  that 
night.  In  the  morning,  the  country  had  more  the  appear 
ance  of  being  peopled  and  cultivated,  and  I  suspected  we 
were  getting  into  the  vicinity  of  Horton,  a  place  through 
which  it  would  be  indispensable  to  pass.  The  weather  became 
bad  again,  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  halt.  Coming 
near  a  log-house,  we  sent  Littlefield  ahead  to  make  some 
nquiries  of  a  woman  who  appeared  to  be  in  it  alone.  On 
nis  return,  he  reported  well  of  the  woman.  He  had  told 
9* 


102  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

her  we  were  deserters  from  the  Bulwark,  and  had  promised 
to  pay  her  if  she  would  let  us  stay  about  her  premises  that 
day,  and  get  us  something  to  eat.  The  woman  had  con 
sented  to  our  occupying  an  out-house,  and  had  agreed  to 
buy  the  provisions.  We  now  took  possession  of  the  out 
house,  where  the  woman  visited  us,  and  getting  some  money, 
she  left  us  in  quest  of  food.  We  were  uneasy  during  her 
absence,  but  she  came  back  with  some  meat,  eggs,  bread, 
and  butter,  at  the  end  of  an  hour,  and  all  seemed  right.  We 
made  two  comfortable  meals  in  this  out-house,  where  we 
remained  until  near  evening.  I  had  the  look-out  about  noon, 
and  I  saw  a  man  hanging  about  the  house,  and  took  the 
alarm.  The  man  did  not  stay  long,  however,  and  I  got  a 
nap  as  soon  as  he  disappeared.  About  four  we  were  all  up, 
and  one  of  us  taking  a  look,  saw  this  same  man,  and  two 
others,  go  into  the  house.  The.  woman  had  already  told  us 
that  a  party  of  soldiers  had  gone  ahead,  in  pursuit  of  three 
Yankee  runaways ;  that  four  had  broken  prison,  but  one 
had  been  retaken,  and  the  rest  were  still  out.  This  left  lit 
tle  doubt  that  she  knew  who  we  were ;  and  we  thought  it 
best  to  steal  away,  at  once,  lest  the  men  in  the  house  should 
be  consulting  with  her,  at  that  very  moment,  about  selling 
us  for  the  reward,  which  we  know  was  always  four  pounds 
ahead.  The  out-house  was  near  the  river,  and  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  brush  growing  along  the  banks,  and  we  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  away  unseen. 

We  went  down  to  the  margin,  under  the  bank,  and  pui 
sued  our  way  along  the  stream.  Before  it  was  dark  w( 
came  in  sight  of  the  bridge,  for  which  we  had  been  travel 
ling  ever  since  we  left  the  other  bridge,  and  were  sorry  tc 
see  a  sentry-box  on  it.  We  now  halted  for  a  council,  and 
came  to  a  determination  to  wait  until  dark,  and  then  ad 
vance.  This  we  did,  getting  under  this  bridge,  as  we  had 
done  with  the  other.  We  had  no  Indians,  however,  to  com 
fort  and  feed  us. 

I  had  known  a  good  deal  of  this  part  of  the  country  when 
a  boy,  from  the  circumstance  that  Mr.  Marchinton  had  a 
large  farm,  near  a  place  called  Cornwallis,  on  the  Bay, 
where  I  had  even  spent  whole  summers  with  the  family. 
This  bridge  I  recollected  well ;  and  I  remembered  there  was 
a  ford  a  little  on  one  side  of  it,  when  the  tide  was  out.  Tho 


A     LIFE    BEFORE     THE     MAST.  103 

tides  are  tremendous  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  we  did 
not  dare  to  steal  a  boat  here,  lest  we  should  be  caught  in  one 
of  the  bores,  as  they  are  called,  when  the  tide  came  in.  It 
was  now  half  ebb,  and  we  resolved  to  wait,  and  try  the 
ford. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  left  the  bridge,  and  we  had  a 
delicate  bit  of  work  before  us.  The  naked  flats  were  very 
wide,  and  we  sallied  out,  with  the  bridge  as  our  guide.  I 
was  up  to  my  middle  in  mud,  at  times,  but  the  water  was 
not  very  deep.  We  must  have  been  near  an  hour  in  the 
mud,  for  we  were  not  exactly  on  the  proper  ford,  of  course, 
and  made  bad  navigation  of  it  in  the  dark.  But  we  were 
afraid  to  lose  sight  of  the  bridge,  lest  we  should  get  all  adrift. 

At  length  we  reached  the  firm  ground,  covered  with  mud 
and  chilled  with  cold.  We  found  the  road,  and  the  village 
of  Horton,  and  skirted  the  last,  until  all  was  clear.  Then 
we  took  to  the  road,  and  carried  sail  hard  all  night.  When 
ever  we  saw  any  one,  we  hid  ourselves,  but  we  met  few 
while  travelling.  Next  morning  we  walked  until  we  came 
to  a  deserted  saw-mill,  which  I  also  remembered,  and  here 
we  halted  for  the  day.  No  one  troubled  us,  nor  did  I  see 
any  one ;  but  Littlefield  said  that  a  man  drove  a  herd  of 
cattle  past,  during  his  watch  on  deck. 

I  told  my  companions  that  night,  if  they  would  be  busy, 
we  might  reach  Cornwallis,  where  I  should  be  at  home.  We 
were  pretty  well  fagged,  and  wanted  rest,  for  Jack  is  no 
great  traveller  ashore ;  and  I  promised  the  lads  a  good  snug 
berth  at  Mr.  Marchinton's  farm.  We  pushed  ahead  briskly, 
in  consequence,  and  I  led  the  party  up  to  the  farm,  just  as 
day  was  dawning.  A  Newfoundland  dog,  named  Hunter, 
met  us  with  some  ferocity  ;  but,  on  my  calling  him  by  name, 
he  was  pacified,  and  began  to  leap  on  me,  and  to  caress  me. 
I  have  always  thought  that  dog  knew  me,  after  an  absence 
of  so  many  years.  There  was  no  time  to  waste  with  dogs, 
however,  and  we  took  the  way  to  the  barn.  We  had  wit 
onough  not  to  get  on  the  hay,  but  to  throw  ourselves  on  a 
mow  filled  with  straw,  as  the  first  was  probably  in  use. 
Here  we  went  to  sleep,  with  one  man  on  the  look-out.  This 
was  the  warmest  and  most  comfortable  rest  we  had  got  since 
quitting  the  island,  from  which  we  had  now  been  absent 
eight  or  nine  days. 


J04  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

We  remained  one  night  and  two  days  in  this  barn.  The 
workmen  entered  it  often,  and  even  stayed  some  time  on  the 
barn-floor;  but  no  one  seemed  to  think  of  ascending  our 
mow.  The  dog  kept  much  about  the  place,  and  I  was  greatly 
afraid  he  would  be  the  means  of  betraying  us.  Our  provi 
sions  were  getting  low,  and,  the  night  we  were  at  the  farm 
I  sallied  out,  accompanied  by  Barnet,  and  we  made  our  way 
into  the  dairy.  Here  we  found  a  pan  of  bread,  milk,  cheese, 
butter,  eggs,  and  codfish.  Of  course,  we  took  our  fill  of 
milk ;  but  Barnet  got  hold  of  a  vessel  of  sour  cream,  and 
came  near  hallooing  out,  when  he  had  taken  a  good  pull  at 
it.  As  we  returned  to  the  barn,  the  geese  set  up  an  outcry, 
and  glad  enough  was  I  to  find  myself  safe  on  the  mow  again, 
without  being  discovered.  Next  day,  however,  we  overheard 
the  men  in  the  barn  speaking  of  the  robbery,  and  complain 
ing,  in  particular,  of  the  uselessness  of  the  dog.  I  did  not 
know  any  of  these  persons,  although  a  young  man  appeared 
among  them,  this  day,  who  I  fancied  had  been  a  playfellow 
of  mine,  when  a  boy.  I  could  not  trust  him,  or  any  one 
else  there ;  and  all  the  advantage  we  got  from  the  farm,  was 
through  my  knowledge  of  the  localities,  and  of  the  habits  of 
the  place. 

I  had  never  been  further  on  the  road  between  Halifax  and 
Annapolis,  than  to  Cornwallis.  The  rest  of  the  distance 
was  unknown  to  me,  though  I  was  familiar  with  the  route 
which  went  out  of  Cornwallis,  and  which  was  called  the  An 
napolis  road.  It  was  a  fine  star-light  evening,  and  we  made 
good  headway.  We  all  felt  refreshed,  and  journeyed  on  full 
stomachs.  We  did  not  meet  a  soul,  though  we  travelled 
through  a  well-settled  country.  The  next  morning  we  halted 
,n  a  wood,  the  weather  being  warm  and  pleasant.  Here  we 
slept  and  rested  as  usual,  and  were  off  again  at  night.  Lit* 
ilefield  pinned  three  fowls  as  we  went  along,  declaring  that 
he  intended  to  have  a  warm  mess  next  day,  and  he  got  off 
without  discovery.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
fell  in  with  a  river,  and  left  the  highway,  following  the  banks 
of  the  stream  for  a  short  distance.  It  now  came  on  to  blow 
and  ram,  with  the  wind  on  shore,  and  we  saw  it  would  not 
do  to  get  a  boat  and  go  out  in  such  a  time.  There  was  a 
rising  ground,  in  a  thick  wood,  near  us,  and  we  went  up  the 
hill  to  pass  the  day.  We  had  seen  two  men  pulling  ashore 


A.     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  105 

in,  a  good-looking  boat,  and  it  was  our  determination  to  get 
this  boat,  arid  shape  our  course  down  stream  to  the  Bay,  as 
soon  as  it  moderated.  From  the  hill,  we  could  overlook  the 
river,  and  the  adjacent  country.  We  saw  the  fishermen 
land,  take  their  sail  and  oars  out  of  the  boat,  haul  the  latter 
up,  turn  her  over,  and  stow  their  sails  and  oars  beneath  her. 
They  had  a  breaker  of  fresh  water,  too,  and  everything 
seemed  fitted  for  our  purposes.  We  liked  the  craft,  and, 
what  is  more,  we  liked  the  cruise. 

We  could  not  see  the  town  of  Annapolis,  which  turned 
out  to  be  up-stream  from  us,  though  we  afterwards  ascer 
tained  that  we  were  within  a  mile  or  two  of  it.  The  fisher 
men  walked  in  the  direction  of  the  town,  and  disappeared. 
All  we  wanted  now  was  tolerably  good  weather,  with  a  fair 
wind,  or,  at  least,  with  less  wind.  The  blow  had  driven  in 
the  fishermen,  and  we  thought  it  wise  to  be  governed  by 
their  experience.  Nothing  occurred  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  the  weather  remaining  the  same,  and  we  being  exposed 
to  the  rain,  with  no  other  cover  than  trees  without  leaves. 
There  were  many  pines,  however,  and  they  gave  us  a  little 
shelter. 

At  dusk,  Littlefield  lighted  a  fire,  and  began  to  cook  his 
fowls.  The  supper  was  soon  ready,  and  we  eat  it  with  a 
good  relish.  We  then  went  to  sleep,  leaving  Barnet  on  the 
look-out.  I  had  just  got  into  a  good  sleep,  when  I  was 
awoke  by  the  tramp  of  horses,  and  the  shouting  of  men. 
On  springing  up,  I  found  that  a  party  of  five  horsemen  were 
upon  us.  One  called  out — "  Here  they  are — we  've  found 
them  at  last."  This  left  no  doubt  of  their  errand,  and  we 
were  all  retaken.  Our  arms  were  tied,  and  we  were  made 
to  mount  behind  the  horsemen,  when  they  rode  off  with  us, 
taking  the  road  by  which  we  had  come.  We  went  but  a 
lew  miles  that  night,  when  we  halted. 

We  were  taken  the  whole  distance  to  Halifax,  in  this 
manner,  riding  on  great-coats,  without  stirrups,  the  horses 
on  a  smart  walk.  We  did  not  go  by  Cornwallis,  which,  it 
seems,  was  not  the  nearest  road ;  but  we  passed  through 
Horton,  and  crossed  the  bridge,  beneath  which  we  had 
waded  through  the  mud.  At  Horton  we  passed  a  night. 
We  were  confined  in  a  sort  of  a  prison,  that  was  covered 
with  mud.  We  did  not  like  our  berths ;  and,  finding  that 


106  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

the  logs,  of  which  the  building  was  made,  were  rotten,  wo 
actually  worked  our  way  through  them,  and  got  fairly  out. 
Littlefield,  who  was  as  reckless  an  Irishman  as  ever  lived, 
swore  he  would  set  fire  to  the  place;  which  he  did,  by  re 
turning  through  the  hole  we  had  made,  and  getting  up  into 
a  loft,  that  was  dry  and  combustible.  But  for  this  silly  act, 
we  might  have  escaped ;  and,  as  it  was,  we  did  get  off  for 
the  rest  of  the  night,  being  caught,  next  morning,  nearly 
down,  again,  by  the  bridge  at  Windsor. 

This  time,  our  treatment  was  a  good  deal  worse,  than  at 
first.  A  sharp  look-out  was  kept,  and  they  got  us  back  to 
Halifax,  without  any  more  adventures.  We  were  pretty 
well  fagged  ;  though  we  had  to  taper  off  with  the  black  hole, 
and  bread  and  water,  for  the  next  ten  days ;  the  regular 
punishment  for  such  misdemeanors  as  ours.  At  the  end  of 
the  ten  days,  we  were  let  out,  and  came  together  again. 
Our  return  brought  about  a  great  deal  of  discussion ;  and, 
not  a  little  criticism,  as  to  the  prudence  of  our  course.  To 
hear  the  chaps  talk,  one  would  think  every  man  among 
them  could  have  got  off,  had  he  been  in  our  situation  ;  though 
none  of  them  did  any  better ;  several  having  got  off  the 
island,  in  our  absence,  and  been  retaken,  within  the  first 
day  or  two.  While  I  was  in  prison,  however,  I  remember 
but  one  man  who  got  entirely  clear.  This  was  a  privateers- 
man,  from  Marblehead ;  who  did  get  fairly  off;  though  ho 
was  back  again,  in  six  weeks,  having  been  taken  once  more, 
a  few  days  out. 

We  adventurers  were  pretty  savage,  about  our  failure ; 
and,  the  moment  we  were  out  of  the"  black  hole,  we  began 
to  lay  our  heads  together  for  a  new  trial.  My  idea  was,  to 
steer  a  different  course,  in  the  new  attempt ;  making  the  best 
of  our  way  towards  Liverpool,  which  lay  to  the  southward, 
coastwise.  This  would  leave  us  on  the  Atlantic,  it  was 
true  ;  but  our  notion  was,  to  ship  in  a  small  privateer,  called 
the  Liverpool,  and  then  run  our  chance  of  getting  off  from 
her  ;  as  she  was  constantly  crossing  over  to  the  American 
coast.  As  this  craft  was  quite  small,  and  often  had  but  few 
hands  in  her,  we  did  not  know  but  we  might  get  hold  of  the 
schooner  itself.  Then  there  was  some  probability  of  being 
put  in  a  coaster ;  which  we  might  run  away  with.  At  all 
events,  any  chance  seemed  better  to  us,  than  that  of  remain- 


i 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  107 

jig  in  prison,  until  the  end  of  a  war  that  might  last  years, 
or  until  we  got  to  be  grey-headed.  I  remembered,  when  the 
Ville  de  Milan  was  brought  into  Halifax  ;  this  was  a  year,  or 
two,  before  I  went  to  sea ;  and  yet  here  were  some  of  her 
people  still,  on  Melville  Island  ! 

I  renewed  my  trade  as  soon  as  out  of  the  Black  Hole, 
but  did  not  give  up  the  idea  of  escaping.  Leonard  Lewis 
and  Jack  Mallet  were  the  only  men  we  tet  into  the  secret. 
They  both  declined  joining  us ;  Mallet  on  account  of  his 
dread  of  the  water,  and  Lewis,  because  certain  he  could  not 
outlive  the  fatigue ;  but  they  wished  us  good  luck,  and  aided 
us  all  they  could.  With  Johnson  we  would  have  no  further - 
concern. 

The  keepers  did  not  ascertain  the  means  by  which  we  had 
left  the  barracks,  though  they  had  seen  the  cut  pickets  of 
course.  We  did  not  attempt,  therefore,  to  cut  through  again, 
but  resolved  to  climb.  The  English  had  strengthened  the 
pickets  with  cross-pieces,  which  were  a  great  assistance  to 
t/s,  and  I  now  desire  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  same. 
We  waited  for  a  warm,  but  dark  and  rainy  night  in  May, 
before  we  commenced  our  new  movement.  We  had  still 
plenty  of  money,  I  having  brought  back  with  me  to  prison 
forty  crowns,  and  having  driven  a  thriving  trade  in  the  in 
terval.  We  got  out  through  the  bars,  precisely  as  we  had 
done  before,  and  at  the  very  same  window.  This  was  a 
small  job.  After  climbing  the  pickets,  either  Littlefield  or 
Barnet  dropped  on  the  outside,  a  little  too  carelessly,  and 
was  overheard.  The  sentinel  immediately  called  for  the 
corporal  of  the  guard,  but  we  were  in  the  water,  swimming 
quite  near  the  bridge,  and  some  little  distance  from  the  guard 
house  on  the  main.  There  was  a  stir  on  the  island,  while 
we  were  in  the  water,  but  we  all  got  ashore,  safe  and  un 
seen. 

We  took  to  the  same  woods  as  before,  but  turned  south  in 
stead  of  west.  Our  route  brought  us  along  by  the  water 
side,  and  we  travelled  hard  all  that  night.  Littlefield  pre 
tended  to  be  our  guide,  but  we  got  lost,  and  remained  two 
days  and  nights  in  the  woods,  without  food,  and  completely 
at  fault  as  to  which  way  to  steer.  At  length  we  ventured 
out  into  a  high-way,  by  open  day-light,  and  good  luck  threw 
tn  old  Irish  seaman,  who  then  lived  by  fishing,  in  our  way. 


108  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

After  a  little  conversation,  we  told  this  old  man  we  were 
deserters  from  a  vessel  of  war,  and  he  seemed  to  like  us  all 
the  better  for  it.  He  had  served  himself,  and  had  a  son 
impressed,  and  seemed  to  like  the  English  navy  little  better 
than  we  did  ourselves.  He  took  us  to  a  hut  on  the  beach, 
and  fed  us  with  fish,  potatoes,  arid  bread,  giving  us  a  very 
comfortable  and  hearty  meal.  We  remained  in  this  hut 
until  sunset,  receiving  a  great  deal  of  useful  advice  from  the 
old  man,  and  then  we  left  him.  We  used  some  precaution 
in  travelling,  sleeping  in  the  woods ;  but  we  kept  moving 
by  day  as  well  as  by  night,  and  halting  only  when  tired, 
and  a  good  place  offered.  We  were  not  very  well  off  for 
food,  though  we  brought  a  little  from  the  fisherman's  hut, 
and  found  quantities  of  winter- berries  by  the  way-side. 

We  entered  Liverpool  about  eight  at  night,  and  went  irn 
mediately  to  the  rendezvous  of  the  privateer,  giving  a  little 
girl  a  shilling  to  be  our  guide.  The  keeper  of  the  rendez 
vous  received  us  gladly,  and  we  shipped  immediately.  Of 
course  we  were  lodged  and  fed,  in  waiting  for  the  schooner 
to  come  in.  Each  of  us  got  four  pounds  bounty,  and  both 
parties  seemed  delighted  with  the  bargain.  To  own  the 
truth,  we  now  began  to  drink,  and  the  next  day  was  pretty 
much  a  blank  with  us  all.  The  second  day,  after  breakfast, 
the  landlord  rushed  into  our  room  with  a  newspaper  in  his 
hand,  and  broke  out  upon  us,  with  a  pretty  string  of  names, 
denouncing  us  for  having  told  him  we  were  deserters,  when 
we  were  only  runaway  Yankees  !  The  twelve  pounds  trou 
bled  him,  and  he  demanded  it  back.  We  laughed  at  him, 
and  advised  him  to  be  quiet  and  put  us  aboard  the  privateer. 
He  then  told  us  the  guard  was  after  us,  hot-foot,  and  that  it 
was  too  late.  This  proved  to  be  true  enough,  for,  in  less 
than  an  hour  an  officer  and  a  platoon  of  men  had  us  in 
custody.  We  had  some  fun  in  hearing  the  officer  give  it  to 
the  landlord,  who  still  kept  talking  about  his  twelve  pounds. 
The  officer  told  him  plainly  that  he  was  rightly  served,  for 
attempting  to  smuggle  off  deserters,  and  I  suppose  this  was 
the  reason  no  one  endeavoured  to  get  the  money  away  from 
us,  except  by  words.  We  kept  the  twelve  pounds,  right  or 
wrong. 

We  were  now  put  in  a  coaster,  and  sent  to  Halifax  by 
water.     We  were  in  irons,  but  otherwise  were  well  enough 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  109 

treated.  We  were  kept  in  the  Navy-yard  guard-house,  at 
Halifax,  several  hours,  and  were  visited  by  a  great  many 
officers.  These  gentlemen  were  curious  to  hear  our  story, 
and  we  let  them  have  it,  very  frankly.  They  laughed,  and 
said,  generally,  we  were  not  to  be  blamed  for  trying  to  get 
off,  if  their  own  look-outs  were  so  bad  as  to  let  us.  We  did 
not  tell  them,  however,  by  what  means  we  passed  out  of  the 
prison-barracks.  Among  the  officers  who  came  and  spoke 
to  us,  was  an  admiral,  Sir  Isaac  Coffin.  This  gentleman 
was  a  native  American,  and  was  then  in  Halifax  to  assist 
the  Nantucket  men,  whom  he  managed  to  get  exchanged. 
His  own  nephew  was  said  to  be  among  them ;  but  him  he 
would  not  serve,  as  he  had  been  captured  in  a  privateer. 
Had  he  been  captured  in  a  man-of-war,  or  a  merchant-man, 
he  would  have  done  all  he  could  for  him  ;  but,  as  it  was,  he 
let  him  go  to  Dartmoor — at  least,  this  was  the  story  in  the 
prison.  The  old  gentleman  spoke  very  mildly  to  us,  and 
said  he  could  not  blame  us  for  attempting  to  escape.  I  do 
not  think  he  had  ever  heard  of  the  twelve  pounds  ;  though 
none  of  the  navy  officers  were  sorry  that  the  privateer's- 
men  should  be  punished.  As  for  us,  we  considered  them 
all  enemies  alike,  on  whom  it  was  fair  enough  to  live  in  a. 
time  of  war. 

We  were  sent  back  to  the  island,  &nd  were  quarantined 
again  ;  though  it  was  for  twenty  days,  this  time.  When  we 
got  pratique,  we  learned  that  some  one  had  told  of  the  man 
ner  in  which  we  got  out  of  prison,  and  cross-bars  had  been 
placed  in  all  the  windows,  making  them  so  many  "  nine  of 
diamonds."  This  was  blocking  the  channel,  and  there  was 
no  more  chance  for  getting  off  in  that  way. 

A  grand  conspiracy  was  now  formed,  which  was  worthy 
of  the  men  in  prison.  The  plan  was  to  get  possession  of 
Halifax  itself,  and  go  off  in  triumph.  We  were  eighteen 
hundred  prisoners  in  all ;  though  not  very  well  off  for  offi 
cers.  About  fifty  of  us  entered  into  the  plan,  at  first ;  nor 
did  we  let  in  any  recruits  for  something  like  six  weeks. 
A  Mr.  Crowninshield,  of  Salem,  was  the  head  man  among 
ns,  he  having  been  an  officer  in  a  privateer.  There  were  a 
good  many  privateer  officers  in  the  prison,  but  they  were 
berthed  over-head,  and  were  intended  to  be  separated  from 
as  at  night.  The  floor  was  lifted  between  us,  however,  aid 
10 


110  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

we  held  our  communications  by  these  means.      The  officers 
came  down  at  night,  and  lent  us  a  hand  with  the  work. 

The  scheme  was  very  simple,  though  I  do  not  think  it 
was  at  all  difficult  of  execution.  The  black-hole  cells  were 
beneath  the  prison,  and  we  broke  through  the  floor,  into  one 
of  them,  from  our  bay.  A  large  mess-chest  concealed  the 
process,  in  the  day-time.  We  worked  in  gangs  of  six,  dig 
ging  and  passing  up  the  dirt  into  the  night-tubs.  These 
tubs  we  were  permitted  to  empty,  every  morning,  in  a  tide's 
way,  and  thus  we  got  rid  of  the  dirt.  At  the  end  of  two 
months  we  had  dug  a  passage,  wide  enough  for  two  abreast, 
some  twenty  or  thirty  yards,  and  were  nearly  ready  to 
come  up  to  the  surface.  We  now  began  to  recruit,  swear 
ing  in  each  man.  On  tho  whole,  we  had  got  about  four 
hundred  names,  when  the  project  was  defeated,  by  that 
great  enemy  which  destroys  so  many  similar  schemes, 
treachery.  We  were  betrayed,  as  was  supposed  by  one  of 
our  own  number. 

Had  we  got  out,  the  plan  was  to  seize  the  heights  of  the 
island,  and  get  possession  of  the  guns.  This  effected,  it 
would  have  been  easy  to  subdue  the  guard.  We  then 
would  have  pushed  for  Citadel  Hill,  which  commanded  Hali 
fax.  Had  we  succeeded  there,  we  should  have  given  John 
Bull  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  though  no  one  could  say  what 
would  have  been  the  result.  Hundreds  would  probably 
have  got  off,  in  different  craft,  even  had  the  great  plan 
failed.  We  were  not  permitted  to  try  the  experiment,  how. 
ever,  for  one  day  we  were  all  turned  out,  and  a  party  of 
English  officers,  army  and  navy,  entered  the  barracks,  re 
moved  the  mess-chest,  and  surveyed  our  mine  at  their 
leisure.  A  draft  of  six  hundred  was  sent  from  the  prison 
that  day,  and  was  shipped  for  Dartmoor ;  and,  by  the  end 
of  the  week,  our  whole  number  was  reduced  to  some  three 
or  four  hundred  souls.  One  of  the  Julias  went  in  this  draft, 
but  all  the  rest  of  us  were  kept  at  Halifax.  For  some  rea 
son  or  other,  the  English  seemed  to  keep  their  eyes  on  us. 

I  never  gave  up  the  hope  of  escaping,  and  the  excitement 
of  the  hope  was  beneficial  to  both  body  and  mind.  We 
were  too  well  watched,  however,  and  conversation  at 
night  was  even  forbidden.  Most  of  the  officers  were  gone 
and  this  threw  me  pretty  much  on  my  own  resources. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  Ill 

have  forgotten  to  say  that  Lemuel  Bryant,  the  man  who 
fell  at  the  breech  of  my  gun,  at  Little  York,  and  whom  I 
afterwards  hauled  into  the  Scourge's  boat,  got  off,  very  early 
after  our  arrival  at  Halifax.  He  made  two  that  got  quite 
clear,  instead  of  the  one  I  have  already  mentioned.  Bry 
ant's  escape  was  so  clever,  as  to  deserve  notice. 

One  day  a  party  of  some  thirty  soldiers  was  called  out 
for  exchange,  under  a  capitulation.  Among  the  names  was 
that  of  Lemuel  Bryant,  but  the  man  happened  to  be  dead. 
Our  Bryant  had  found  this  out,  beforehand,  and  he  rigged 
himself  soldier-fashion,  and  answered  to  the  name.  It  is 
probable  he  ascertained  the  fact,  by  means  of  some  relation 
ship,  which  brought  him  in  contact  with  the  soldier  previously 
to  his  death.  He  met  with  no  difficulty,  and  I  have  never 
seen  him  since.  I  have  heard  he  is  still  living,  and  that  he 
receives  a  pension  for  the  hurt  he  received  at  York.  Well 
does  he  deserve  it,  for  no  man  ever  had  a  narrower  chance 
for  his  life. 

Nothing  new,  worthy  of  notice,  occurred  for  several 
months,  until  one  evening  in  March,  1815,  we  heard  a 
great  rejoicing  in  Halifax ;  and,  presently,  a  turnkey  ap 
peared  on  the  wa  is,  and  called  out  that  England  and  Ame 
rica  had  made  peace  !  We  gave  three  cheers,  and  passed 
the  night  happy  enough.  We  had  a  bit  of  a  row  with  the 
turnkeys  about  locking  us  in  again,  for  we  were  fierce  for 
liberty  ;  but  we  were  forced  to  submit  for  another  night. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  following  morning,  eight  of  the  names  that  stood 
first  on  the  prison-roll  were  called  off,  to  know  if  the  men 
would  consent  to  work  a  liberated  Swedish  brig  to  New 
York.  I  was  one  of  the  eight,  as  was  Jack  Mallet  and 
Barnet.  Wilcox,  one  of  those  who  had  gone  with  us  to 
Bermuda,  had  died,  and  the  rest  were  left  on  the  island.  I 
never  fell  in  with  Leonard  Lewis,  Littlefield,  or  any  of  the 
rest  of  those  chaps,  after  I  quitted  the  prison.  Lewis,  I 


112  itjcD    MYERS;    OR, 


think,  could  not  have  lived  long  ;  and  as  for  Littlefield,  I 
heard  of  him,  afterwards,  as  belonging  to  the  Washington  74. 

The  Swede,  whose  name  was  the  Venus,  was  lying  at  the 
end  of  Marchinton's  wharf,  a  place  that  had  been  so  familiar 
to  me  in  boyhood.  We  all  went  on  board,  and  I  was  not 
sorry  to  find  that  we  were  to  haul  into  the  stream  immedi 
ately.  I  had  an  extraordinary  aversion  to  Halifax,  which 
my  late  confinement  had  not  diminished,  and  had  no  wish 
to  see  a  living  soul  in  it.  Jack  Mallet,  however,  took  on 
himself  the  office  of  paying  my  sister  a  visit,  and  of  telling 
her  where  I  was  to  be  found.  This  he  did  contrary  to  my 
wishes,  and  without  my  knowledge;  though  I  think  he 
meant  to  do  me  a  favour.  The  very  day  we  hauled  into  the 
stream,  a  boat  came  alongside  us,  and  I  saw,  at  a  glance, 
that  Harriet  was  in  it.  I  said  a  few  words  to  her,  requesting 
her  not  to  come  on  board,  but  promising  to  visit  her  that 
evening,  which  I  did. 

I  stayed  several  hours  with  my  sister,  whom  I  found  living 
with  her  husband.  She  did  not  mention  my  father's  name 
to  me,  at  all  ;  and  I  learned  nothing  of  my  other  friends,  if 
I  ever  had  any,  or  of  my  family.  Her  husband  was  a  tailor, 
and  they  gave  me  a  good  outfit  of  clothes,  and  treated  me 
with  great  kindness.  It  struck  me  that  the  unaccountable 
silence  of  my  father  about  us  children,  had  brought  my  sis 
ter  down  in  the  world  a  little,  but  it  was  no  affair  of  mine  ; 
and,  as  for  myself,  I  cared  for  no  one.  After  passing  the 
evening  with  the  family,  I  went  on  board  again,  without 
turning  to  the  right  or  left  to  see  a  single  soul  more.  Even 
the  Frasers  were  not  visited,  so  strong  was  my  dislike  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  Halifax. 

The  Venus  took  on  board  several  passengers,  among 
whom  were  three  or  four  officers  of  the  navy.  Lieutenant 
Rapp,  and  a  midshipman  Randolph  were  among  them,  and 
there  were  also  several  merchant-masters  of  the'parly.  We 
sailed  two  days  after  I  joined  the  brig,  and  had  a  ten  or 
twelve  days'  passage.  The  moment  the  Venus  was  along 
side  the  wharf,  at  New  York,  we  all  left,  and  found  ourselves 
free  men  once  more.  I  had  been  a  prisoner  nineteen  months, 
and  that  was  quite  enough  for  me  for  the  remainder  of  my 
life. 

We  United  States'  men  reported  ourselves,  the  next  day 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  113 

to  Captain  Evans,  the  commandant  of  the  Brooklyn  Yard, 
and,  after  giving  in  our  names,  we  were  advised  to  go  on 
board  the  Epervier,  which  was  then  fitting  out  for  the  Medi 
terrariean,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Downes.  To 
this  we  objected,  however,  as  we  wanted  a  cruise  ashore, 
before  we  took  to  the  water  again.  This  was  a  lucky  deci 
sion  of  ours,  though  scarcely  to  be  defended  as  to  our  views: 
the  Epervier  being  lost,  and  all  hands  perishing,  a  few 
months  later,  on  her  return  passage  from  the  Straits. 

Captain  Evans  then  directed  us  to  report  ourselves  daily, 
which  we  did.  But  the  press  of  business  at  Washington 
prevented  our  cases  from  being  attended  to ;  and  being  des 
titute  of  money,  while  wages  were  high,  we  determined, 
with  Captain  Evans'  approbation,  to  make  a  voyage,  each, 
in  the  merchant  service,  and  to  get  our  accounts  settled  on 
our  return.  Jack  Mallet,  Barnet  and  I,  shipped,  therefore, 
in  another  brig  called  the  Venus,  that  was  bound  on  a  sealing 
voyage,  as  was  thought,  in  some  part  of  the  world  where 
seals  were  said  to  be  plenty.  We  were  ignorant  of  the 
work,  or  we  might  have  discovered  there  was  a  deception 
intended,  from  the  outfit  of  the  vessel.  She  had  no  salt 
isven,  while  she  had  plenty  of  cross-cut  saws,  iron  dogs, 
chains,  &c.  The  brig  sailed,  however,  and  stood  across  the 
Atlantic,  as  if  in  good  earnest.  When  near  the  Cape  de 
Verds,  the  captain  called  us  aft,  and  told  us  he  thought  the 
season  too  far  advanced  for  sealing,  and  that,  if  we  would 
consent,  he  would  run  down  to  St.  Domingo,  and  make  an 
arrangement  with  some  one  there  to  cut  mahogany  on  shares, 
with  fustick.  and  lignum-vita?.  The  secret  was  now  out ; 
but  what  could  we  poor  salts  do  1  The  work  we  were  asked 
to  do  turned  out  to  be  extremely  laborious ;  and  I  suppose 
we  had  been  deceived  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  getting 
men,  just  at  that  time,  for  such  a  voyage.  There  we  were, 
in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  and  we  agreed  to  the  proposal, 
pretty  much  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  brig  now  bore  up,  and  stood  for  St.  Domingo.  She 
first  went  in  to  the  city  of  St.  Domingo,  where  the  arrange 
ments  were  made,  and  Spaniards  were  got  to  help  to  cut  the 
wood,  when  we  sailed  for  a  bay,  of  which  I  have  forgotten 
tho  name,  and  anchored  near  the  shore.  The  trees  were 
sawed  down,  about  ten  miles  up  a  river,  and  floated  to  its 
10* 


114  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

bar,  across  which  they  had  to  be  hauled  by  studding-sail 
halyards,  through  the  surf;  one  man  hauling  two  logs  at  a 
time,  made  into  a  sort  of  raft.  Sharks  abounded,  and  we 
had  to  keep  a  bright  look-out,  lest  they  got  a  leg  while  we 
were  busy  with  the  logs.  I  had  a  narrow  escape  from  two 
while  we  lay  at  St.  Domingo.  A  man  fell  overboard,  and 
I  went  after  him,  succeeding  in  catching  the  poor  fellow.  A 
boat  was  dropped  astern  to  pick  us  up,  and,  as  we  hauled 
the  man  in,  two  large  sharks  came  up  close  alongside.  This 
affair  had  set  us  drinking,  and  I  got  a  good  deal  of  punch 
aboard.  The  idea  of  remaining  in  the  brig  was  unpleasant 
to  me,  and  I  had  thought  of  quitting  her  for  some  days.  A 
small  schooner  bound  to  America,  and  short  of  hands,  lay 
near  us ;  and  I  had  told  the  captain  I  would  come  and  join 
him  that  night.  Jack  Mallet  and  the  rest  tried  tc  persuade 
me  not  to  go,  but  I  had  too  much  punch  and  grog  in  me  to 
listen  to  reason.  When  all  hands  aft  were  asleep,  therefore, 
I  let  myself  down  into  the  water,  and  swam  quite  a  cable's- 
length  to  the  schooner.  One  of  the  men  was  looking  out 
for  me.  He  heard  me  in  the  water,  and  stood  ready  to  re 
ceive  me.  As  I  drew  near  the  schooner,  this  man  threw  me 
a  rope,  and  helped  me  up  the  side,  but,  as  soon  as  I  was  on 
the  deck,  he  told  me  to  look  behind  me.  I  did  so,  and  there 
I  saw  an  enormous  shark  swimming  about,  a  fellow  that 
was  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  long.  This  shark,  I  was  told, 
had  kept  company  with  me  as  long  as  I  had  been  in 
sight  from  the  schooner.  I  cannot  well  describe  the  effect 
that  was  produced  on  me  by  this  discovery.  When  I  en 
tered  the  water,  I  was  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  but  this 
escape  sobered  me  in  a  minute ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  I 
insisted  on  being  put  in  a  boat,  and  sent  back  to  the  brig, 
which  was  done.  I  was  a  little  influenced  in  this,  however, 
by  some  reluctance  that  was  manifested  to  keep  me  on  board 
the  schooner.  I  got  on  board  the  Venus  without  being  dis 
covered,  and  came  to  a  resolution  to  stick  by  the  craft  until 
the  voyage  was  up. 

We  filled  up  with  mahogany,  and  took  in  a  heavy  deck- 
load,  in  the  course  of  four  months,  which  was  a  most  labo 
rious  process.  When  ready,  the  brig  sailed  for  New  York. 
We  encountered  a  heavy  gale,  about  a  week  out,  which  swept 
away  our  deck-load,  bulwarks,  &c.  At  this  time,  tvhe  mas« 


A    LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  115 

ter,  supercargo,  mate,  cook,  and  three  of  the  crew,  were 
down  with  the  fever ;  leaving  Mallet,  Barnet  and  myself,  to 
take  care  of  the  brig.  We  three  brought  the  vessel  up  as 
far  as  Barnegat,  where  we  procured  assistance,  and  she 
arrived  safe  at  the  quarantine  ground. 

As  soon  as  we  got  pratique,  Mallet,  Barnet  and  myself, 
went  up  to  town  to  look  after  our  affairs,  leaving  the  brig 
below.  The  owners  gave  us  thirty  dollars  each,  to  begin 
upon.  We  ascertained  that  our  landlord  had  received  our 
wages  from  government,  and  held  it  ready  for  us,  sailor 
fashion.  I  al«o  sold  my  share  in  the  Venus'  voyage  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  This  gave  me,  in  all,  about 
five  hundred  dollars,  which  money  lasted  me  between  five 
and  six  weeks !  How  true  is  it,  that  "  sailors  make  their 
money  like  horses,  and  spend  it  like  asses !"  I  cannot  say 
this  prodigal  waste  of  rny  means  afforded  me  any  substan 
tial  gratification.  I  have  experienced  more  real  pleasure 
from  one  day  passed  in  a  way  of  which  my  conscience  could 
approve,  than  from  all  the  loose  and  thoughtless  follies,  in 
which  I  was  then  in  the  habit  of  indulging  when  ashore,  of 
a  whole  life.  The  manner  in  which  this  hard-earned  gold 
was  thrown  away,  may  serve  to  warn  some  brother  tar  of 
the  dangers  that  beset  me;  and  let  the  reader  understand  the 
real  wants  of  so  large  a  body  of  his  fellow-creatures. 

On  turning  out  in  the  morning,  I  felt  an  approach  to  that 
which  seamen  call  the  "  horrors,"  and  continued  in  this 
state,  until  I  had  swallowed  several  glasses  of  rum.  I  had 
no  appetite  for  breakfast,  and  life  was  sustained  principally 
by  drink.  Half  of  the  time  I  ate  no  dinner,  and  when  I  did, 
it  was  almost  drowned  in  grog.  Occasionally  I  drove  out 
in  a  coach,  or  a  gig,  and  generally  had  something  extra  to 
pay  for  damages.  One  of  these  cruises  cost  me  forty  dol 
lars,  and  I  shall  always  think  I  was  given  a  horse  that  sailed 
crab-fashion,  on  purpose  to  do  me  out  of  the  money.  At  night, 
I  generally  went  to  the  play,  and  felt  bound  to  treat  the  land 
lord  and  his  family  to  tickets  and  refreshments.  We  always 
had  a  coach  to  go  in,  and  it  was  a  reasonable  night  that  cost 
me  only  ten  dollars.  At  first  I  was  a  sort  of"  king  among 
beggars ;"  but  as  the  money  went,  Ned's  importance  went 
with  it,  until,  one  day,  the  virtuous  landlord  intimated  to 
me  that  it  would  be  well,  as  I  happened  to  be  sober,  to  over- 


110  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

haul  our  accounts.  He  then  began  to  read  from  his  books 
ten  dollars  for  this,  twenty  dollars  for  that,  and  thirty  for  tho 
other,  until  I  was  soon  tired,  and  wanted  to  know  how  much 
was  left.  I  had  still  fifty  dollars,  even  according  to  his  ac 
count  of  the  matter ;  and  as  that  might  last  a  week,  with 
good  management,  I  wanted  to  hear  no  more  about  the  items 

All  this  time,  i  was  separated  from  my  old  shipmates, 
being  left  comparatively  among  strangers.  Jack  Mallet  had 
gone  to  join  his  friends  in  Philadelphia,  and  Barnet  went 
south,  whither  I  cannot  say.  I  never  fell  in  with  either  of 
them  again,  it  being  the  fate  of  seamen  to  encounter  the 
greatest  risks  and  hardships  in  company,  and  then  to  cut 
adrift  from  each  other,  with  little  ceremony,  never  to  meet 
again.  I  was  still  young,  being  scarcely  two-and-twenty 
and  might,  even  then,  have  hauled  in  my  oars,  and  come  to 
be  an  officer  and  a  man. 

As  I  knew  I  must  go  to  sea,  as  soon  as  the  accounts  were 
balanced,  I  began  to  think  a  little  seriously  of  my  prospects. 
Dissipation  had  wearied  me,  and  I  wanted  to  go  a  voyage 
of  a  length  that  would  prevent  my  falling  soon  into  the  samo 
course  of  folly  and  vice.  I  had  often  bitter  thoughts  as  to 
my  conduct,  nor  was  I  entirely  free  from  reflection:  on  the 
subject  of  my  peculiar  situation.  I  might  be  said  to  be  with 
out  a  friend,  or  relative,  in  the  world.  "  When  my  hat  was 
on,  my  house  was  thatched."  Of  my  father,  I  knew  no 
thing  ;  I  have  since  ascertained  he  must  then  have  been 
dead.  My  sister  was  little  to  me,  and  I  never  expected  to 
see  her  again.  The  separation  from  all  my  old  lakers,  too, 
gave  me  some  trouble,  for  I  never  met  with  one  of  them 
after  parting  from  Barnet  and  Mallet,  with  the  exception  of 
Tom  Goldsmith  and  Jack  Reilly.  Tom  and  I  fell  in  with 
each  other,  on  my  return  from  St.  Domingo,  in  the  streets 
of  New  York,  and  had  a  yarn  of  two  hours,  about  old  times. 
This  was  all  I  ever  saw  of  Tom.  He  had  suffered  a  good 
deal  with  the  English,  who  kept  him  in  Kingston,  Upper 
Canada,  until  the  peace,  when  they  let  him  go  with  the  rest. 
As  for  Reilly,  we  have  been  in  harbour  together,  in  our  old 
age,  and  I  may  speak  of  him  again. 

Under  the  feelings  I  have  mentioned,  as  soon  as  the  looks 
of  my  landlord  let  me  know  that  there  were  no  more  shot  in 
the  locker,  I  shipped  in  a  South  Sea  whaler,  named  the  Ed- 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  117 

ward,  that  was  expected  to  be  absent  between  two  and  three 
years.  She  was  a  small  vessel,  and  carried  only  three 
boats.  I  got  a  pretty  good  outfit  from  my  landlord,  though 
most  of  the  articles  were  second-hand.  We  parted  good 
friends,  however,  and  I  came  back  to  him,  and  played  the 
same  silly  game  more  than  once.  He  was  not  a  bad  land 
lord^  as  landlords  then  went,  and  1  make  no  doubt  he  took 
better  care  of  my  money  than  I  should  have  done  myself. 
On  the  whole,  this  class  of  men  are  not  as  bad  as  they  seem, 
though  there  are  precious  rascals  among  them.  The  re 
spectable  sailor  landlord  is  quite  as  good,  in  his  way,  as 
one  could  expect,  all  things  considered. 

The  voyage  I  made  in  the  Edward  was  one  of  very  little 
interest,  the  ship  being  exceedingly  successful.  The  usage 
and  living  were  good,  and  the  whaling  must  have  been  good 
too,  or  we  never  should  have  been  back  again,  as  soon  as 
we  were.  We  went  round  the  Horn,  and  took  our  first 
whale  between  the  coast  of  South  America  and  that  of  New 
Holland.  I  must  have  been  present  at  the  striking  of  thirty 
fish,  but  never  met  with  any  accident.  I  pulled  a  mid-ship 
oar,  being  a  new  hand  at  the  business,  and  had  little  else  to 
do,  but  keep  clear  of  the  line,  and  look  out  for  my  paddle. 
The  voyage  is  now  so  common,  and  the  mode  of  taking 
whales  is  so  well  known,  that  I  shall  say  little  about  either. 
We  went  off  the  coast  of  Japan,  as  it  is  called,  though  a 
long  bit  from  the  land,  and  we  made  New  Holland,  though 
without  touching.  The  return  passage  was  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  and  St.  Helena.  We  let  go  our  anchor  but 
once  the  whole  voyage,  and  that  was  at  Puna,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Guayaquil  river,  on  ihe  coast  of  Chili.  We  lay  there 
ft  week,  but,  with  this  exception,  the  Edward  was  actually 
under  her  canvass  the  whole  voyage,  or  eighteen  months. 
We  did  intend  to  anchor  at  St.  Helena,  but  were  forbidden 
on  account  of  Bonaparte,  who  was  then  a  prisoner  on  the 
Island.  As  we  stood  in,  we  were  met  by  a  man-of-war 
brig,  that  kept  close  to  us  until  we  had  sunk  the  heights,  on 
our  passage  off  again.  We  were  not  permitted  even  to  send 
a  boat  in,  for  fresh  grub. 

I  sold  my  voyage  in  the  Edward  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  and  went  back  to  my  landlord,  in  Water  street. 
Of  course,  everybody  was  glad  to  see  me,  a  sailor's  im- 


118  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

portance  in  such  places  being  estimated  by  the  length  of  hia 
voyage.  In  Wall  street  they  used  to  call  a  man  "  a  hun 
dred  thousand  dollar  man,"  and  in  Water,  "  an  eighteen 
months,  or  a  two  years'  voyage  man."  As  none  but 
whalers,  Indiamen,  and  Statesmen  could  hold  out  so  long, 
we  were  all  A.  No.  1,  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks.  The 
man-of-war's-man  is  generally  most  esteemed,  his  cruise 
lasting  three  years ;  the  lucky  whaler  comes  next,  and  the 
Canton-man  third.  The  Edward  had  been  a  lucky  ship, 
and,  insomuch,  I  had  been  a  lucky  fellow.  I  behaved  far 
better  this  time,  however,  than  I  had  done  on  my  returr 
from  St.  Domingo.  I  kept  sober  more,  did  not  spend  my 
money  as  foolishly  or  as  fast,  and  did  not  wait  to  be  kicked 
out  of  doors,  before  1  thought  of  getting  some  more.  When 
I  shipped  anew,  I  actually  left  a  hundred  dollars  behind  me 
in  my  landlord's  hands ;  a  very  extraordinary  thing  for 
Jack,  and  what  is  equally  worthy  of  notice,  I  got  it  all 
again,  on  my  next  return  from  sea. 

My  steadiness  was  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  fol 
lowing  circumstances.  I  fell  in  with  two  old  acquaint 
ances,  who  had  been  in  prison  with  me,  of  the  names  of 
Tibbets  and  Wilson.  This  Tibbets  was  not  the  man  who 
had  been  sent  to  Bermuda  with  me,  but  another  of  the  same 
name.  These  men  had  belonged  to  the  Gov.  Tompkins  pri 
vateer,  and  had  received  a  considerable  sum  in  prize-nKK.ey, 
on  returning  home.  They  had  used  their  money  discreetly, 
having  purchased  an  English  prize-brig,  at  a  low  price,  and 
fitted  her  out.  On  board  the  Tompkins,  both  had  been 
foremost  hands,  and  in  prison  they  had  messed  in  our  bay, 
so  that  we  had  been  hail-fellows-well-met,  on  Melville 
Island.  After  getting  this  brig  ready,  they  had  been  to  the 
West  Indies  in  her,  and  were  now  about  to  sail  for  Ireland. 
They  wished  me  to  go  with  them,  and  gave  me  so  much 
good  advice,  on  the  subject  of  taking  care  of  my  money, 
that  it  produced  the  effect  I  have  just  mentioned. 

The  name  of  the  prize-brig  was  the  Susan,  though  I  for 
get  from  what  small  eastern  port  she  hailed.  She  was  of 
about  two  hundred  tons  burthen,  but  must  have  been  old 
and  rotten.  Tibbets  was  master,  and  Wilson  was  chief- 
mate.  I  shipped  as  a  sort  of  second-mate,  keeping  a 
watch,  though  I  lived  forward  at  my  own  request.  We 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  119 

.rmst  have  sailed  about  January,  1818,  bound  to  Belfast. 
There  were  fourteen  of  us,  altogether,  on  board,  most  of 
us  down-easters.  Our  run  off  the  coast  was  with  a  strong 
north-west  gale,  which  compelled  us  to  heave-to,  the  sea 
being  too  high  for  scudding.  Finding  that  the  vessel  la 
boured  very  much,  however,  and  leaked  badly,  we  kept  off 
again,  and  scudded  for  the  rest  of  the  blow.  On  the  whole, 
we  got  out  of  this  difficulty  pretty  well.  We  got  but  two 
observations  the  whole  passage,  but  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
twenty-third  day  out,  we  made  the  coast  of  Ireland,  close 
aboard,  in  thick  weather  ;  the  wind  directly  on  shore,  blow 
ing  a  gale.  The  brig  was  under  close-reefed  topsails,  run 
ning  free,  at  the  time,  and  we  found  it  necessary  to  haul  up. 
We  now  discovered  the  defects  of  old  canvass  and  old  rigging, 
splitting  the  fore-topsail,  foresail,  and  fore-topmast-staysail, 
besides  carrying  away  sheets,  &c.  We  succeeded  in  haul 
ing  up  the  foresail,  however,  and  I  went  upon  the  yard  and 
mended  it,  after  a  fashion.  It  was  now  nearly  night,  and 
it  blew  in  a  way  "  to  need  two  men  to  hold  one  man's  hair 
on  his  head."  I  cannot  say  I  thought  much  of  our  situa 
tion,  my  principal  concern  being  to  get  below,  with  some 
warm,  dry  clothes  on.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  land  after 
the  first  half-hour,  but  at  midnight  we  wore  ship,  and  came 
up  on  the  larboard  tack.  The  brig  had  hardly  got  round 
before  the  fore-tack  went,  and  the  foresail  split  into  ribands. 
We  let  the  sail  blow  from  the  yard.  By  this  time,  things 
began  to  look  very  serious,  though,  for  some  reason,  I  felt 
no  great  alarm.  The  case  was  different  with  Tibbets  and 
Wilson,  who  were  uneasy  about  Cape  Clear.  I  had  had  a 
bit  of  a  spat  with  them  about  waring,  believing,  myself, 
that  we  should  have  gone  clear  of  the  Cape.  01;  the  star 
board  tack.  This  prevented  them  saying  much  to  me,  and 
we  had  little  communication  with  each  other  that  night.  To 
own  the  truth,  I  was  sorry  I  had  shipped  in  such  a  craft. 
He*  owners  were  too  poor  to  give  a  sea-going  vessel  a  pro 
per  outfit,  and  they  were  too  near  my  own  level  to  create 
respect. 

The  fore-topsail  had  been  mended  as  well  as  the  foresail, 
and  was  set  anew.  The  sheets  went,  however,  about  two 
in  the  morning,  and  the  sail  flew  from  the  reef-band  like  a 
bit  of  muslin  torn  by  a  shop-boy.  The  brig  now  had  no- 


120  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

»hing  set  but  a  close-reefed  main-topsail,  and  this  I  expected, 
every  minute,  would  follow  the  other  canvass.  It  rained, 
blew  tremendously,  and  the  sea  was  making  constant 
breaches  over  us.  Most  of  the  men  were  fagged  out,  some 
going  below,  while  others,  who  remained  on  deck,  did,  or 
could  do,  nothing.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  so  dark  that 
we  could  not  see  the  length  of  the  vessel. 

I  now  went  aft  to  speak  to  Tibbets,  telling  him  I  thcught 
it  was  all  over  with  us.  He  had  still  some  hope,  as  the  bay 
was  deep,  and  he  thought  light  might  return  before  we  got 
to  the  bottom  of  it.  I  was  of  a  different  opinion,  believing 
the  brig  then  to  be  within  the  influence  of  the  ground-swell, 
though  not  absolutely  within  the  breakers.  All  this  time 
the  people  were  quiet,  and  there  was  no  drinking.  Indeed, 
I  hardly  saw  any  one  moving  about.  It  was  an  hour  after 
the  conversation  with  Tibbets,  that  I  was  standing,  holding 
on  by  the  weather-main-clew-garnet,  when  I  got  a  glimpse 
of  breakers  directly  under  our  lee.  I  sung  out,  "  there's 
breakers,  and  everybody  must  shift  for  himself."  At  the 
next  instant,  the  brig  rose  on  a  sea,  settled  in  the  trough, 
and  struck.  The  blow  threw  me  off  my  feet,  though  I  held 
on  to  the  clew-garnet.  Then  I  heard  the  crash  of  the  fore 
mast  as  it  went  down  to  leeward.  The  brig  rolled  over  on 
her  beam-ends,  but  righted  at  the  next  sea,  drove  in  some 
distance,  and  down  she  came  again,  with  a  force  that  threat 
ened  to  break  her  up.  I  bethought  me  of  the  main-mast, 
and  managed  to  get  forward  as  far  as  the  bitts,  in  order  to 
be  out  of  its  way.  It  was  well  I  did,  as  I  felt  a  movement 
as  if  her  upper  works  were  parting  from  the  bottom.  I  was 
near  no  one,  and  the  last  person  I  saw,  or  spoke  to  on  board, 
was  Tibbets,  who  was  then  standing  in  the  companion-way. 
This  was  an  hour  before  the  brig  struck. 

There  might  have  been  an  interval  of  half  a  minute  be 
tween  the  time  I  reached  the  windlass,  and  that  in  which 
I  saw  a  tremendous  white  foaming  sea  rolling  down  upon 
the  vessel.  At  this  ominous  sight,  I  instinctively  seized  the 
bitts  for  protection.  I  can  remember  the  rushing  of  the 
water  down  upon  me,  and  have  some  faint  impressions  ot 
passing  through  a  mass  of  rigging,  but  this  is  all.  When 
I'came  to  my  senses,  it  was  in  an  Irish  mud-cabin,  with  an 
old  woman  and  her  daughter  taking  care  of  me.  My  head 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  121 

was  bandaged,  and  most  of  the  hair  had  been  cut  off  in  front 
I  was  stiff  and  sore  all  over  me.  Fortunately,  none  of  my 
bones  were  broken. 

The  account  given  me  of  what  had  passed,  was  this.  I 
was  found  by  the  old  man,  who  lived  in  the  hut,  a  fisherman 
and  the  husband  of  my  nurse,  with  some  other  persons,  lying 
on  my  face,  between  two  shelves  of  rock.  There  was  no 
thing  very  near  me,  not  even  a  bit  of  wood,  or  a  rope.  Two 
lads  that  belonged  to  the  brig  were  found  not  far  from  me, 
both  alive,  though  both  badly  hurt,  one  of  them  having  had 
his  thigh  broken.  Of  the  rest  of  the  fourteen  souls  on  board 
the  Susan,  there  were  no  traces.  I  never  heard  that  even 
their  bodies  were  found.  Tibbets  and  Wilson  had  gone  with 
their  old  prize,  and  anything  but  a  prize  did  she  prove  to  me. 
I  lost  a  good  outfit,  and,  after  belonging  to  her  about  three 
weeks,  here  was  I  left  naked  on  the  shores  of  Ireland.  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  my  feelings  were  those  of  repining,  rather 
than  of  g'.atitude.  Of  religion  I  had  hardly  a  notion,  and  I 
am  afraid  that  all  which  had  been  driven  into  me  in  child 
hood,  was  already  lost.  In  this  state  of  mind,  I  naturally 
felt  more  of  the  hardships  I  had  endured,  than  of  the  mercy 
that  had  been  shown  me.  I  look  back  with  shame  at  the 
hardness  of  heart  which  rendered  me  insensible  to  the  many 
mercies  I  had  received,  in  escaping  so  often  from  the  perils 
of  my  calling. 

It  was  three  days  after  the  wreck,  before  I  left  my  bed. 
Nothing  could  have  been  kinder  than  the  treatment  I  received 
from  those  poor  Irish  people.  Certainly  no  reward  was  be 
fore  them,  but  that  which  Heaven  gives  the  merciful ;  and 
yet  I  could  not  have  been  more  cared  for,  had  I  been  their 
own  son.  They  fed  me,  nursed  me,  and  warmed  me,  with 
out  receiving  any  other  return  from  me  than,  my  thanks.  I 
staid  with  them  three  weeks,  doing  nothing  on  account  of 
the  bruises  I  had  received.  The  Susan's  had  been  a  tho 
rough  wreck.  Not  enough  of  her  could  be  found,  of  which 
to  build  a  launch.  Her  cargo  was  as  effectually  destroyed 
as  her  hull,  and,  to  say  the  truth,  it  took  but  little  to  break 
her  up.  As  for  the  two  lads,  I  could  not  get  as  far  as  the 
cabin  in  which  they  had  been  put.  It  was  two  or  three 
miles  along  the  coast,  and,  having  no  shoes,  I  could  not 
walk  that  distance  over  the  sharp  stones.  Several  messages 
II 


122  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

passed  between  us,  but  I  never  saw  a  single  soul  that  be 
longed  to  the  brig,  after  the  last  look  I  had  of  Tibbets  in  tho 
companion-way. 

A  coaster  passing  near  the  cabin,  and  it  falling  calm,  the 
fisherman  went  off  to  her,  told  my  story,  and  got  a  passage 
for  me  to  Liverpool.  I  now  took  my  leave  of  these  honest 
people,  giving  them  all  I  had — my  sincere  thanks — and  went 
on  board  the  sloop.  Here  I  was  well  treated,  nor  did  any 
one  expect  me  to  work.  We  reached  Liverpool  the  second 
day,  and  I  went  and  hunted  up  Molly  Hutson,  the  landlady 
with  whom  the  crew  of  the  Sterling  had  lodged,  when  Cap 
tain  B had  her.  The  old  woman  helped  me  to  some 

clothes,  received  me  well,  and  seemed  sorry  for  my  misfor 
tunes.  As  it  would  not  do  to  remain  idle,  however,  I  shipped 
on  board  the  Robert  Burns,  and  sailed  for  New  York  within 
the  week.  I  got  no  wages,  but  met  with  excellent  treatment, 
and  had  a  very  short  winter  passage.  In  less  than  three 
months  after  I  left  him,  I  was  back  again  with  my  old  land 
lord,  who  gave  me  my  hundred  dollars  without  any  difficulty. 
I  had  sailed  with  him  in  the  Sterling,  and  he  always  seemed 
to  think  of  me  a  little  differently  from  what  landlords  gene 
rally  think  of  Jack. 

A  good  deal  was  said  among  my  associates,  now,  about 
the  advantages  of  making  a  voyage  to  the  coast  of  Ireland 
for  the  purpose  of  smuggling  tobacco,  and  I  determined  to 
try  my  hand  at  one.  Of  the  morality  of  smuggling  I  have 
nothing  to  say.  I  would  not  make  such  a  voyage  now,  if 
I  know  myself;  but  poor  sailors  are  not  taught  to  make  just 
distinctions  in  such  things,  and  the  merchants  must  take 
their  share  of  the  shame.  I  fear  there  are  few  merchants, 
and  fewer  seamen,  man-of-war  officers  excepted,  who  will 
not  smuggle.* 

I  laid  out  most  of  my  hundred  dollars,  in  getting  a  new 
outfit,  and  then  shipped  in  a  small  pilot-boat-built  schooner, 


*  Ned  might  have  added  "  few  duchesses."  The  ambassadors'  bags 
in  Europe,  might  tell  many  a  tale  of  foulards,  &c.,  sent  from  one  court 
to  another.  The  writer  believes  that  the  higher  class  of  American 
gentlemen  and  ladies  smuggle  less  than  those  of  any  other  country. 
It  should  be  remembered,  too,  that  no  seaman  goes  in  a  smuggler,  thn. 
is  n  >t  sent  by  traders  ashore EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE    MAST.  123 

called  the  M'Donough,  bound  to  Ireland,  to  supply  such 
honest  fellows  as  my  old  fisherman  with  good  tobacco,  cheap. 
Our  ca»rgo  was  in  small  bales,  being  the  raw  material,  in 
tended  to  be  passed  by  hand.  We  had  seventeen  hands 
before  the  mast,  but  carried  no  armament,  pistols,  &c.,  ex- 
cepted.  The  schooner  sailed  like  a  witch,  carrying  only 
two  gaff-topsails.  We  made  the  land  in  fourteen  days  alter 
we  left  the  Hook,  our  port  being  Tory  Island,  off  the  north 
west  coast  of  Ireland.  We  arrived  in  the  day-time,  and 
showed  a  signal,  which  was  answered  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  by  a  smoke  on  some  rocks.  A  large  boat  then  came 
off  to  us,  and  we  filled  her  with  tobacco  the  same  evening. 
In  the  course  of  the  night,  we  had  despatched  four  or  five 
more  boats,  loaded  with  the  same  cargo ;  but,  as  day  ap 
proached,  we  hauled  our  wind,  and  stood  off  the  land.  Next 
night  we  went  in,  again,  and  met  more  boats,  and  the  suc 
ceeding  morning  we  hauled  off,  as  before.  When  we  saw 
a  boat,  we  hailed  and  asked  "  if  they  were  outward  bound." 
If  the  answer  was  satisfactory,  we  brailed  the  foresail  and 
permitted  the  boat  to  come  alongside.  In  this  manner  we 
continued  shoving  cargo  ashore,  for  quite  a  week,  sometimes 
falling  in  with  only  one  boat  of  a  night,  and,  at  others,  with 
three  or  four ;  just  as  it  might  happen.  We  had  got  about 
two-thirds  of  the  tobacco  out,  and  a  boat  had  just  left  us,  on 
the  morning  of  the  sixth  or  seventh  day,  when  we  saw  a 
man-of-war  brig  coming  round  Tory  Island,  in  chase.  At 
this  sight,  we  hauled  up  close  on  a  wind,  it  blowing  very 
fresh.  As  the  English  never  employed  any  but  the  fastest 
cruisers  for  this  station,  we  had  a  scratching  time  of  it. 
The  brig  sailed  very  fast,  and  out-carried  us ;  but  our  little 
schooner  held  on  well.  For  two  days  and  one  night  we  had 
it,  tack  and  tack,  with  her.  The  brig  certainly  gained  on 
us,  our  craft  carrying  a  balanced  reefed-mainsail,  bonnet  off 
the  foresail  and  one  reef  in,  and  bonnet  off  the  jib.  The 
flying-jib  was  inboard.  At  sunset,  on  the  second  night,  the 
brig  was  so  near  us,  we  could  see  her  people,  and  it  was 
blowing  fresher  than  ever.  This  was  just  her  play,  while 
ours  was  in  more  moderate  weather.  Our  skipper  got  un 
easy,  now,  and  determined  to  try  a  trick.  It  set  in  dark 
and  rainy  ;  and,  as  soon  as  we  lost  sight  of  the  brig,  we 
tacked,  stood  on  a  short  distance,  lowered  everything,  and 


124  MED   MYERS;  OR, 

extinguished  all  our  lights.  We  lay  in  this  situation  three 
hours,  when  we  stuck  the  craft  down  again  for  Tory  Island 
as  straight  as  we  could  go.  1  never  knew  what  became  of 
the  brig,  which  may  be  chasing  us  yet,  for  aught  I  know 
for  I  saw  no  more  of  her.  Next  day  we  had  the  signal  fly- 
ing  again,  and  the  smoke  came  up  from  the  same  rock,  as 
before.  It  took  us  three  days  longer  to  get  all  the  tobacco 
ashore,  in  consequence  of  some  trouble  on  the  island ;  but 
it  all  went  in  the  end,  and  went  clear,  as  I  was  told,  one  or 
two  boat-loads  excepted.  The  cargo  was  no  sooner  out, 
than  we  made  sail  for  New  York,  where  we  arrived  in  an 
other  short  passage.  We  were  absent  but  little  more  than 
two  months,  and  my  wages  and  presents  came  to  near  one 
hundred  dollars.  I  never  tried  the  tobacco  trade  again. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

I  NOW  stayed  ashore  two  months.  I  had  determined  to 
study  navigation,  and  to  try  to  get  off  the  forecastle,  in 
which  wise  course  I  was  encouraged  by  several  discreet 
friends.  I  had  fallen  in  with  a  young  woman  of  respectable 
character  and  agreeable  person,  and,  to  own  the  truth,  was 
completely  in  irons  with  her.  I  believe  a  mother  is  a  good 
deal  more  on  the  look-out  than  a  father,  in  such  matters ; 
for  I  was  overhauled  by  the  old  woman,  and  questioned  as 
to  my  intentions  about  Sarah,  whereas  the  old  man  wa* 
somewhat  more  moderate.  I  confessed  my  wish  to  marry 
her  daughter ;  but  the  old  woman  thought  I  was  too  wild, 
which  was  not  Sarah's  opinion,  I  believe.  Had  we  been 
left  to  ourselves,  we  should  have  got  married  ;  though  I  was 
really  desirous  of  going  out  once  as  an  officer,  before  I  took 
so  important  a  step.  I  have  sometimes  suspected  that 
Sarah's  parents  had  a  hand  in  getting  me  shipped,  again,  as 
they  were  intimate  with  the  captain  who  now  proposed  to 
take  me  with  him  as  his  second-mate.  I  consented  to  go, 
with  some  reluctance ;  but,  on  the  whole,  thought  it  was  the 
best  thing  I  could  do.  My  reluctance  proceeded  from  ^ 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  125 

desire  to  remain  with  Sarah,  when  the  time  came;  though 
the  herth  was  exactly  the  thing  I  wanted,  whenever  I  rea 
soned  coolly  on  the  subject. 

I  shipped,  accordingly,  in  a  vessel  of  the  Costers',  called 
the  William  and  Jane,  bound  to  Holland  and  Canton,  as  her 
second-mate.  My  leave-taking  with  Sarah  was  very  tender ; 
and  I  believe  we  both  felt  much  grieved  at  the  necessity  of 
parting.  Nothing  occurred  on  the  passage  out  worth  men 
tioning.  I  got  along  with  my  duty  well  enough,  for  I  had 
been  broken-in  on  board  the  Sterling,  and  one  or  two  other 
vessels.  We  went  to  the  Texel,  but  found  some  difficulty  in 
procuring  dollars,  which  caused  us  to  return  to  New  York, 
after  getting  only  twenty  thousand.  We  had  no  other  return 
cargo,  with  the  exception  of  a  little  gin.  We  were  absent 
five  months ;  and  I  found  Sarah  as  pretty,  and  as  true,  as 
ever.  I  did  not  quit  the  vessel,  however ;  but,  finding  my 
knowledge  of  the  lunars  too  limited,  I  was  obliged  to  go 
backward  a  little — becoming  third-mate.  We  were  a  month 
in  New  York,  and  it  was  pretty  hard  work  to  keep  from  eloping 
with  Sarah  ;  but  I  clawed  off  the  breakers  as  well  as  I  could. 
I  gave  her  a  silver  thimble,  and  told  her  to  take  it  to  a  smith, 
and  get  our  joint  names  cut  on  it,  which  she  did.  The  con 
sequences  of  this  act  will  be  seen  in  the  end. 

We  had  a  little  breeze  on  board  the  ship  before  we  could 
get  ofF;  the  people  refusing  to  sail  with  a  new  first-mate 
that  had  joined  her.  It  ended  by  getting  another  mate,  when 
we  went  to  sea.  I  believe  that  no  other  vessel  ever  went 
out  with  such  articles  as  our  crew  insisted  on.  The  men 
stipulated  for  three  quarts  of  water  a  day,  and  the  forenoon's 
watch  below.  All  this  was  put  in  black  and  white,  and  it 
gave  us  some  trouble  before  we  got  to  our  destination. 

Our  passage  out  was  a  very  long  one,  lasting  two  hundred 
and  ten  days.  When  we  got  into  the  trades,  we  stripped 
one  mast  after  the  other,  to  a  girt-line,  overhauling  every 
thing,  and  actually  getting  new  gangs  of  rigging  up  over 
the  lower-mast-heads.  We  were  a  long  time  about  it,  but 
lost  little  or  nothing  in  distance,  as  the  ship  was  going  before 
the  wind  the  whole  time,  with  everything  packed  on  the 
masts  that  were  rigged.  Before  overhauling  the  rigging, 
we  fell  in  with  an  English  ship,  called  the  General  Blucher, 
and  kept  company  with  her  for  quite  a  fortnight.  While 
11* 


126  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

the  two  ships  were  together,  we  were  chased  by  a  strange 
brig,  that  kept  in  sight  three  or  four  days,  evidently  watch 
ing  us,  and  both  vessels  suspected  him  of  being  a  pirate. 
As  we  had  six  guns,  and  thirty. one  souls,  and  the  Blucher 
was,  at  least,  as  strong,  the  two  captains  thought,  by  stand 
ing  by  each  other,  they  might  beat  the  fellow  ofF,  should  he 
attack  us.  The  brig  frequently  came  near  enough  to  get 
a  good  look  at  us,  and  then  dropped  astern.  He  continued 
this  game  several  days,  until  he  suddenly  hauled  his  wind, 
and  left  us.  Our  ship  would  have  been  a  famous  prize ; 
having,  it  was  said,  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  Spanish  dollars  on  board. 

We  parted  company  with  the  Blucher,  in  a  heavy  gale ; 
our  ship  bearing  up  for  Rio.  After  getting  rid  of  some  of 
our  ballast,  however,  and  changing  the  cargo  of  pig-lead, 
our  vessel  was  easier,  and  did  not  go  in.  Nothing  further 
occurred,  worth  mentioning,  until  we  got  off  Van  Diemen's 
Land.  Two  days  after  seeing  the  land,  a  boy  fell  from  the 
fore-top-gallant  yard,  while  reeving  the  studding-sail  halyards. 
I  had  just  turned  in,  after  eating  my  dinner,  having  the 
watch  below,  when  I  heard  the  cry  of  "  a  man  overboard  !" 
Running  on  deck,  as  I  was,  I  jumped  into  a  quarter-boat, 
followed  by  four  men,  and  we  were  immediately  lowered 
down.  The  ship  was  rounded-to,  and  I  heard  the  poor  fel 
low  calling  out  to  me  by  name,  to  save  him.  I  saw  him, 
astern,  very  plainly,  while  on  the  ship's  quarter ;  but  lost 
sight  of  him,  as  soon  as  the  boat  was  in  the  water.  The 
skylight-hood  had  been  thrown  overboard,  and  was  floating 
in  the  ship's  wake.  We  steered  for  that ;  but  could  neither 
see  nor  hear  anything  more  of  the  poor  fellow.  We  got  his 
hat,  and  we  picked  up  the  hood  of  the  skylight,  but  could 
not  find  the  boy.  He  had,  unquestionably,  gone  down 
before  we  reached  the  spot  where  he  had  been  floating,  as 
his  hat  must  have  pointed  out  the  place.  We  got  the  hat 
first ;  and  then,  seeing  nothing  of  the  lad,  we  pulled  back  to 
take  in  the  hood ;  which  was  quite  large.  While  employed 
in  taking  it  in,  a  squall  passed  over  the  boat ;  which  nearly 
blew  it  away  from  us.  Being  very  busy  in  securing  the 
hood,  no  one  had  leisure  to  look  about ;  but  the  duty  was  no 
sooner  done,  than  one  of  the  men  called  out,  that  he  could 
not  see  the  ship  !  Sure  enough,  the  Wiiliam  and  Jane  had 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  127 

disappeared !  and  there  we  were,  left  in  the  middle  of  tho 
ocean,  in  a  six-oared  pinnace,  without  a  morsel  of  food,  and  I 
myself,  without  hat,  shoes,  jacket  or  trowsers.  In  a  word, 
I  had  nothing  on  me  but  my  drawers  and  a  flannel  shirt. 
Fortunately,  the  captain  kept  a  breaker  of  fresh  water  in  each 
boat,  and  we  had  a  small  supply  of  this  great  requisite  ;— 
enough,  perhaps,  to  last  five  men  two  or  three  days. 

All  our  boats  had  sails  ;  but  those  of  the  pinnace  had  been 
spread  on  the  quarter-deck,  to  dry ;  and  we  had  nothing  but 
the  ash  to  depend  on.  At  first,  we  pulled  to  leeward ;  but 
the  weather  was  so  thick,  we  could  not  see  a  cable's-length ; 
and  our  search  for  the  vessel,  in  that  direction,  proved  use 
less.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  or  two,  we  ceased  rowing,  and 
held  a  consultation.  I  proposed  to  pull  in  the  direction  of 
the  land  ;  which  was  pulling  to  windward.  If  the  ship  should 
search  for  us,  it  would  certainly  be  in  that  quarter ;  and  if 
we  should  miss  her,  altogether,  our  only  chance  was  in 
reaching  the  shore.  There,  we  might  find  something  to 
eat ;  of  which  there  was  little  hope,  out  on  the  ocean.  The 
men  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  quitting  the  spot ;  but,  after 
some  talk,  they  came  into  my  plan. 

It  remained  thick  weather  all  that  afternoon,  night,  and 
succeeding  day,  until  about  noon.  We  were  without  a  com 
pass,  and  steered  by  the  direction  of  the  wind  and  sea.  Oc 
casionally  it  lightened  up  a  little,  so  as  to  show  us  a  star  or 
two,  or  during  the  day  to  permit  us  to  see  a  few  miles  around 
the  boat ;  but  we  got  no  glimpse  of  the  ship.  It  blew  so 
heavily  that  we  made  no  great  progress,  in  my  judgment 
doing  very  little  more  than  keeping  the  boat  head  to  sea. 
Could  we  have  pulled  four  oars,  this  might  not  have  been 
the  case,  but  we  took  it  watch  and  watch,  two  men  pulling, 
while  two  tried  to  get  a  little  rest,  under  the  shelter  of  the 
hood.  I  steered  as  long  as  I  could,  but  was  compelled  to 
row  part  of  the  time  to  keep  myself  warm.  In  this  manner 
were  passed  about  six-and-twenty  of  the  most  unpleasant 
hours  of  my  life,  when  some  of  us  thought  they  heard  the 
report  of  a  distant  gun.  I  did  not  believe  it ;  but,  after  lis 
tening  attentively  some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  another  report 
was  heard,  beyond  all  dispute,  dead  to  leeward  of  us ! 

This  signal  produced  a  wonderful  effect  on  us  all.  The 
four  oars  were  manned,  and  away  we  went  before  the  wind 


128  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

and  sea,  as  fast  as  we  could  pull,  I  steering  for  the  leports 
as  they  came  heavily  up  to  windward  at  intervals  of  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Three  or  four  of  these  guns  were 
heard,  each  report  sounding  nearer  than  the  other,  to  our 
great  joy,  until  I  got  a  glimpse  of  the  ship,  about  two  miles 
distant  from  us.  She  was  on  the  starboard  tack,  close  haul 
ed,  a  proof  she  was  in  search  of  us,  with  top-gallant-sails 
set  over  single-reefed  topsails.  She  was  drawing  ahead  of 
us  fast,  however,  and  had  we  not  seen  her  as  we  did,  we 
should  have  crossed  her  wake,  and  been  lost  without  a  hope, 
by  running  to  leeward.  We  altered  our  course  the  instant 
she  was  seen ;  but  what  could  a  boat  do  in  such  a  sea,  pull 
ing  after  a  fast  ship  under  such  canvass  ?  Perhaps  we  felt 
more  keen  anxiety,  after  we  saw  the  ship,  than  we  did  be 
fore,  since  we  beheld  all  the  risk  we  ran.  Never  shall  I  for 
get  the  sensations  with  which  I  saw  her  start  her  main-tack 
and  haul  up  the  sail !  The  foresail  and  top-gallant-sail  fol 
lowed,  and  then  the  main-yard  came  round,  and  laid  the 
topsail  aback !  Everything  seemed  to  fly  on  board  her,  and 
we  knew  we  were  safe.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were  alongside, 
The  boat  was  at  the  davits,  the  helm  was  up,  and  the  old 
barky  squared  away  for  China. 

We  in  the  boat  were  all  pretty  well  fagged  out  with  hun 
ger,  toil,  and  exposure.  I  was  the  worst  off,  having  so  lit 
tle  clothing  in  cool  weather,  and  I  think  another  day  would 
have  destroyed  us  all,  unless  we  had  taken  refuge  in  the 
well-known  dreadful  alternative  of  seamen.  The  captain 
was  delighted  to  see  us,  as  indeed  were  all  hands.  They 
had  determined  to  turn  to  windward,  on  short  tacks,  until 
they  made  the  land,  the  best  thing  that  could  have  been 
done-,  and  the  course  that  actually  saved  us. 

When  we  got  into  the  latitude  of  Port  Jackson,  the  crew 
was  put  on  two  quarts  of  water  a  man,  three  quarts  having 
been  stipulated  for  in  the  articles.  This  produced  a  mutiny, 
the  men  refusing  duty.  This  was  awkward  enough,  in  that 
distant  sea.  The  captain  took  advantage  of  the  men's  go 
ing  below,  however,  to  secure  the  scuttle  and  keep  them 
there.  He  then  mustered  us,  who  lived  aft,  six  men  and 
three  boys,  and  laid  the  question  before  us,  whether  we  would 
take  the  ship  into  Canton,  or  go  into  Port  Jackson,  and  get 
some  water.  He  admitted  we  were  about  seventy -five  days 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  129 

run  from  Canton,  but  he  himself  leaned  to  the  plan  of  con- 
tinuing  on  our  course.  We  saw  all  the  difficulties  before 
us,  and  told  him  of  them. 

There  were  twenty  men  below,  and  to  carry  them  eight 
or  ten  thousand  miles  in  that  situation,  would  have  been 
troublesome,  to  say  the  least,  and  might  have  caused  the 
death  of  some  among  them.  We  were  armed,  and  had  no 
apprehensions  of  the  people,  but  we  did  not  like  to  work  a 
ship  of  five  hundred  tons  with  so  few  hands,  one-third  of 
whom  were  boys,  so  great  a  distance.  The  crew,  more 
over,  had  a  good  deal  of  right  on  their  side,  the  articles  stip 
ulating  that  they  should  have  the  water,  and  this  water  was 
to  be  had  a  short  distance  to  windward. 

The  captain  yielded  to  our  reasoning,  and  we  beat  up  to 
Port  Jackson,  where  we  arrived  in  three  or  four  days.  The 
people  were  then  sent  to  prison,  as  mutineers,  and  we  wa 
tered  the  ship.  We  were  in  port  a  fortnight,  thus  occu 
pied.  All  this  time  the  men  were  in  gaol.  No  men  were 
to  be  had,  and  then  arose  the  question  about  trusting  the  old 
crew.  There  was  no  choice,  and,  the  ship  being  ready  to 
sail,  we  received  the  people  on  board  again,  and  turned 
them  all  to  duty.  We  had  no  further  trouble  with  them, 
however,  the  fellows  behaving  perfectly  well,  as  men  com 
monly  will,  who  have  been  once  put  down.  No  mutiny  is 
dangerous  when  the  officers  are  apprized  of  its  existence, 
and  are  fairly  ready  to  meet  it.  The  king's  name  is  a 
tower  of  strength. 

We  arrived  at  Canton  in  due  time,  and  found  our  cargo 
ready  for  us.  We  took  it  in,  and  sailed  again,  for  the 
Texel,  in  three  weeks.  Our  passage  to  Europe  was  two 
hundred  and  eleven  days,  but  we  met  with  no  accident.  At 
the  Texel  I  found  two  letters  from  New  York,  one  being 
from  Sarah,  and  the  other  from  a  female  friend.  Sarah 
was  married  to  the  very  silversmith  who  had  engraven  our 
names  on  the  thimble !  This  man  saw  her  for  the  first 
time,  when  she  carried  that  miserable  thimble  to  him,  fell 
in  love  with  her,  and,  being  in  good  circumstances,  her 
friends  prevailed  on  her  to  have  him.  Her  letter  to  me  ad 
mitted  her  error,  and  confessed  her  unhappiness ;  but  there 
was  no  remedy.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  returning  to  New 
York,  under  the  circumstances,  and  resolved  to  quit  the 


130  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

ship.     I  got  my  discharge,  therefore,  from  the  Wiliiarr  and 
June,  and  left  her,  never  seeing  the  vessel  afterwards. 

There  was  a  small  Baltimore  ship,  called  the  Wabash,  at 
the  Texel,  getting  ready  for  Canton,  and  I  entered  on  board 
her,  as  a  foremast  Jack,  again.  My  plan  was  to  quit  her  in 
China,  and  to  remain  beyond  the  Capes  for  ever.  The  dis 
appointment  in  my  matrimonial  plans  had  soured  me,  and  I 
wanted  to  get  as  far  from  America  as  I  could.  This  was 
the  turning  point  of  my  life,  and  was  to  settle  my  position 
in  my  calling.  I  was  now  twenty-seven,  and  when  a  man 
gets  stern-way  on  him,  at  that  age,  he  must  sail  a  good 
craft  ever  to  work  his  way  into  his  proper  berth  again. 

The  Wabash  had  a  good  passage  out,  without  any  un-' 
usual  occurrence.  On  her  arrival  at  Canton,  I  told  the 
captain  my  views,  and  he  allowed  me  to  go.  I  was  now 
adrift  in  the  Imperial  Empire,  with  a  couple  of  hundred 
dollars  in  my  pocket,  and  a  chest  full  of  good  clothes.  So 
far  all  was  well,  and  I  began  to  look  about  me  for  a  berth. 
We  had  found  an  English  country  ship  lying  at  Whampao, 
smuggling  opium,  and  I  got  on  board  of  her,  as  third-mate,  a 
few  days  after  I  quitted  the  Wabash.  This  was  the  first 
and  only  time  I  ever  sailed  under  the  English  flag,  for  I  do 
not  call  my  other  passages  in  English  vessels,  sailing  under 
the  flag,  though  it  was  waving  over  my  head.  My  new 
ship  was  the  Hope,  of  Calcutta,  commanded  by  Captain 
Kid,  or  Kyd,  I  forget  which.  The  vessel  was  built  of  teak, 
and  had  been  a  frigate  in  the  Portuguese  service.  She  was 
so  old  no  one  knew  exactly  when  she  was  built,  but  sailed 
like  a  witch.  Her  crew  consisted  principally  of  Lascars, 
with  a  few  Europeans  and  negroes,  as  is  usual  in  those 
craft.  My  wages  did  not  amount  to  much  in  dollars,  but 
everything  was  so  cheap,  they  counted  up  in  the  long  run. 
I  had  perquisites,  too,  which  amounted  to  something  hand 
some.  They  kept  a  very  good  table. 

The  Hope  had  a  good  deal  of  opium,  when  I  joined  her, 
and  it  was  all  to  be  smuggled  before  we  sailed.  As  this 
trade  has  made  a  great  deal  of  noise,  latterly,  I  will  relate 
the  manner  in  which  we  disposed  of  the  drug.  Of  the  mo 
rality  of  this  species  of  commerce,  I  have  no  more  to  say  in 
its  defence,  than  I  had  of  the  tobacco  voyage,  unless  it  be 
lo  aver  that  were  I  compelled,  now,  to  embark  in  one  of  the 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  131 

i  wo,  rt  should  be  to  give  the  countrymen  of  my  honest  fish 
erman  cheap  tobacco,  in  preference  to  making  the  Chinese 
drunk  on  opium. 

Our  opium  was  packed  in  wooden  boxes  of  forty  cylin 
ders,  weighing  about  ten  pounds  each  cylinder.  Of  course 
each  box  weighed  about  four  hundred  pounds.  The  main 
cargo  was  cotton,  and  salt-petre,  and  ebony ;  but  there  were 
four  hundred  boxes  of  this  opium. 

The  sales  of  the  article  were  made  by  the  captain,  up  at 
the  factory.  They  seldom  exceeded  six  or  eight  boxes  at  a 
time,  and  were  oftener  two  or  three.  The  purchaser  then 
brought,  or  sent,  an  order  on  board  the  ship,  for  the  delivery 
of  the  opium.  He  also  provided  bags.  The  custom-house 
officers  did  not  remain  in  the  ship,  as  in  other  countries,  but 
were  on  board  a  large  armed  boat,  hanging  astern.  These 
crafts  are  called  Hoppoo  boats.  This  arrangement  left  us 
tolerably  free  to  do  as  we  pleased,  on  board.  If  an  officer 
happened  to  come  on  board,  however,  we  had  early  notice 
of  it,  of  course.  As  third-mate,  it  was  my  duty  to  see  the 
boxes  taken  out  of  the  hold,  and  the  opium  delivered.  The 
box  was  opened,  and  the  cylinders  counted  off,  and  stowed 
in  the  bags,  which  were  of  sizes  convenient  to  handle.  All 
this  was  done  on  the  gun-deck,  the  purchaser  receiving 
possession  of  his  opium,  on  board  us.  It  was  his  loss,  if 
anything  failed  afterwards. 

As  soon  as  the  buyer  had  his  opium  in  the  bags,  he 
placed  the  latter  near  two  or  three  open  ports,  amidships, 
and  hung  out  a  signal  to  the  shore.  This  signal  was  soon 
answered,  and  then  it  was  look  out  for  the  smuggling  boats  ! 
These  smuggling  boats  are  long,  swift,  craft,  that  have 
double-banked  paddles,  frequently  to  the  number  of  sixty 
men.  They  are  armed,  and  are  swift  as  arrows.  When 
all  is  ready,  they  appear  suddenly  on  the  water,  and  dash 
alongside  of  the  vessel  for  which  kfiey  are  bound,  and  find 
the  labourers  of  the  purchaser  standing  at  the  ports,  with 
the  bags  of  cylinders  ready.  These  bags  are  thrown  into 
the  boat,  the  purchaser  and  his  men  tumble  after  them,  and 
away  she  paddles,  like  a  racer.  The  whole  operation  oc 
cupies  but  a  minute  or  two. 

As  soon  as  the  Hoppoo  boat  sees  what  is  going  on,  it  be 
gins  to  blow  conches.  This  gives  the  alarm,  and  then  follows 


132  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

a  chase  from  an  armed  custom-house  boat,  of  which  .here 
are  many  constantly  plying  about.  It  always  appeared  to 
me  that  the  custom-house  people  were  either  afraid  of  the 
smugglers,  or  that  they  were  paid  for  not  doing  their  duty. 
I  never  saw  any  fight,  or  seizure,  though  I  am  told  such 
sometimes  happen.  I  suppose  it  is  in  China,  as  it  is  in 
other  parts  of  the  world ;  that  men  occasionally  do  their 
whole  duty,  but  that  they  oftener  do  not.  If  the  connivance 
of  custom-house  officers  will  justify  smuggling  in  China,  it 
will  justify  smuggling  in  London,  and  possibly  in  New 
York. 

We  not  only  smuggled  cargo  out,  but  we  smuggled  cargo 
in.  The  favourite  prohibited  article  was  a  species  of  metal, 
that  came  in  plates,  like  tin,  or  copper,  of  which  we  took  in 
large  quantities.  It  was  brought  to  us  by  the  smuggling- 
boats,  and  thrown  on  board,  very  much  as  the  opium  was 
taken  out,  and  we  stowed  it  away  in  the  hold.  All  this  was 
done  in  the  day-time,  but  I  never  heard  of  any  one's  follow 
ing  the  article  into  the  ship.  Once  there,  it  appeared  to  be 
considered  safe.  Then  we  got  sycee  silver,  which  was  pro 
hibited  for  exportation.  All  came  on  board  in  the  same 
manner.  For  every  box  of  opium  sold,  the  mate  got  a  china 
dollar  as  a  perquisite.  Of  course  my  share  on  four  hundred 
boxes  came  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  of  these  dollars, 
or  about  one  hundred  and  sixteen  of  our  own.  I  am  ashamed 
to  say  there  was  a  great  deal  of  cheating  all  round,  each 
party  evidently  regarding  the  other  as  rogues,  and,  instead 
of  "  doing  as  they  would  be  done  by,"  doing  as  they  thought 
they  were  done  by. 

The  Hope  sailed  as  soon  as  the  opium  was  sold,  about  a 
month,  and  had  a  quick  passage  to  Calcutta.  I  now  began 
to  pick  up  a  little  Bengalee,  and,  before  I  left  the  trade,  could 
work  a  ship  very  well  in  the  language.  The  Lascars  were 
more  like  monkeys  than  men  aloft,  though  they  wanted 
strength.  A  topsail,  that  six  of  our  common  men  would 
furl,  would  employ  twenty  of  them.  This  was  partly  from 
habit,  perhaps,  though  they  actually  want  physical  force. 
They  eat  little  besides  rice,  and  are  small  in  frame.  We 
had  a  curious  mode  of  punishing  them,  when  slack,  aloft. 
Our  standing  rigging  was  of  grass,  and  wiry  enough  to  cut 
even  hands  that  were  used  to  it.  The  ratlines  were  not 


A     LIFE   BEFORE     THE     MAST.  133 

seized  to  the  forward  and  after  shrouds,  by  means  of  eyes, 
as  is  done  in  our  vessels,  but  were  made  fast  by  a  round 
turn,  and  stopping  back  the  ends.  We  used  to  take  down  all 
the  ratlines,  and  make  the  darkies  go  up  without  them.  In 
doing  this,  they  took  the  rigging  between  the  great  and  se 
cond  toe,  and  walked  up,  instead  of  shinning  it,  like  Chris 
tians.  This  soon  gave  them  sore  toes,  and  they  would  beg 
hard  to  have  the  ratlines  replaced.  On  the  whole,  they  were 
easily  managed,  and  were  respectful  and  obedient.  We  had 
near  a  hundred  of  these  fellows  in  the  Hope,  and  kept  them 
at  work  by  means  of  a  boatswain  and  four  mates,  all  coun 
trymen  of  their  own.  In  addition,  we  had  about  thirty  moro 
souls,  including  the  Europeans  —  Christians,  as  we  were 
called  ! 

At  Calcutta  we  loaded  with  cotton,  and  returned  to  Can 
ton,  having  another  short  passage.  We  had  no  opium  in 
the  ship,  this  time,  it  being  out  of  season ;  but  we  smuggled 
cara;o  in,  as  before.  We  lay  at  WThampao  a  few  weeks,  and 
returned  to  Calcutta.  By  this  time  the  Hope  was  dying  of 
old.  age,  and  Captain  Kyd  began  to  think,  if  he  did  not  bury 
her,  she  might  bury  him.  Her  beams  actually  dropped,  as 
we  removed  the  cotton  at  Canton,  though  she  still  remained 
tight.  But  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  encounter  heavy 
weather  in  her. 

A  new  ship,  called  the  Hopping  Castle,  had  been  built  by 
Captain  Kyd's  father-in-law,  expressly  for  him.  She  was 
a,s'-°ut  large  vessel,  and  promised  to  sail  well.  The  officers 
wore  »1V  transferred  to  her ;  but  most  of  the  old  Lascars 
refused  to  ship,  on  account  of  a  quarrel  with  the  boatswain. 
This  compelled  us  to  ship  a  new  set  of  these  men,  most  of 
whom  were  strangers  to  us. 

By  a  law  of  Calcutta,  if  anything  happens  to  a  vessel 
before  she  gets  to  sea,  the  people  retain  the  two  months' 
advance  it  is  customary  to  give  them.  This  rule  brought 
us  into  difficulty.  The  Hopping  Castle  cleared  for  Bombay, 
with  a  light  cargo.  We  had  dropped  down  the  river,  dis 
charged  the  pilot,  and  made  sail  on  our  course,  when  a  fire 
suddenly  broke  up  out  of  the  fore-hatch.  A  quantity  of 
grass  junk,  and  two  or  three  cables  of  the  same  material, 
were  in  that  part  of  the  ship,  and  they  all  burnt  like  tinder. 
I  went  with  the  other  officers  and  threw  overboard  the  pow- 
12 


134  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

der,  but  it  was  useless  to  attempt  extinguishing  the  flanes, 
Luckily,  there  were  two  pilot  brigs  still  near  us,  and  they 
came  alongside  and  received  all  hands.  The  Hopping  Cas 
tle  burnt  to  the  water's  edge,  and  we  saw  her  wreck  go 
down.  This  was  a  short  career  for  so  fine  a  ship,  and  it 
gave  us  all  great  pain ;  all  but  the  rascals  of  Lascars.  I 
lost  everything  I  had  iu  the  world  in  her,  but  a  few  clothes 
I  saved  in  a  small  trunk.  I  had  little  or  no  money,  Calcutta 
being  no  place  for  economy.  In  a  country  in  which  it  is  a 
distinction  to  be  a  white  man,  and  called  a  Christian,  one 
must  maintain  his  dignity  by  a  little  extravagance. 

Captain  Kyd  felt  satisfied  that  the  Lascars  had  set  his 
ship  on  fire,  and  he  had  us  all  landed  on  Tiger  Island. 
Here  the  serang,  or  boatswain,  took  the  matter  in  hand,  and 
attempted  to  find  out  the  facts.  I  was  present  at  the*  pro 
ceeding,  and  witnessed  it  all.  It  was  so  remarkable  as  to 
deserve  bring  mentioned.  The  men  were  drawn  up  in  rings, 
of  twenty  or  thirty  each,  and  the  boatswain  stood  in  the 
centre.  He  then  put  a  little  white  powder  into  each  man's 
hand,  and  ordered  him  to  spit  in  it.  The  idea  was  that  the 
innocent  men  would  spit  without  any  difficulty,  while  the 
mouths  of  the  guilty  would  become  too  dry  and  husky  to 
allow  them  to  comply.  At  any  rate,  the  serang  picked  out 
ten  men  as  guilty,  and  they  were  sent  to  Calcutta  to  be  tried. 
I  was  told,  afterwards,  that  all  these  ten  men  admitted  their 
guilt,  criminated  two  more,  and  that  the  whole  twelve  were 
subsequently  hanged  in  chains,  near  Castle  William.  Of 
the  legal  trial  and  execution  I  know  nothing,  unless  by  re 
port  ;  but  the  trial  by  spittle,  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes ;  and 
it  was  evident  the  Lascars  looked  upon  it  as  a  very  serious 
matter.  I  never  saw  criminals  in  court  betray  more  uneasi 
ness,  than  these  fellows,  while  the  serang  was  busy  with 
them. 

I  was  now  out  of  employment.  Captain  Kyd  wished  me 
to  go  on  an  indigo  plantation,  offering  me  high  wages.  I 
never  drank  at  sea,  and  had  behaved  in  a  way  to  gain  his 
confidence,  I  believe,  so  that  he  urged  me  a  good  deal  to 
accept  his  offers.  I  would  not  consent,  however,  being 
afraid  of  death.  There  was  a  Philadelphia  ship,  called  the 
Benjamin  Rush,  at  Calcutta,  and  I  determined  to  join  her. 
By  this  time,  I  felt  less  on  the  subject  of  my  disappointment, 


A   LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  135 

and  had  a  desire  to  see  home,  again.  I  shipped,  accordingly, 
in  the  vessel  mentioned,  as  a  foremast  hand.  We  sailed 
soon  after,  and  had  a  pleasant  passage  to  the  Capes  of  the 
Delaware,  which  I  now  entered,  again,  for  the  first  time 
since  I  had  done  so  on  my  return  from  my  original  voyage 
.n  the  Sterling. 

As  soon  as  paid  off,  I  proceeded  to  New  York.  I  was 
short  of  cash ;  and,  my  old  landlord  being  dead,  I  had  to 
look  about  me  for  a  new  ship.  This  time,  I  went  in  a  brig, 
called  the  Boxer,  a  clipper,  belonging  to  John  Jacob  Astor, 
bound  to  Canton.  This  proved  to  be  a  pleasant  and  suc 
cessful  voyage,  so  far  as  the  vessel  was  concerned,  at  least ; 
the  brig  being  back  at  New  York,  again,  eight  months  after 
we  sailed.  I  went  in  her  before  the  mast. 

My  money  was  soon  gone ;  and  I  was  obliged  to  ship 
again.  I  now  went  as  second-mate,  in  the  Trio ;  an  old 
English  prize-ship,  belonging  to  David  Dunham.  We  were 
bound  to  Batavia,  and  sailed  in  January.  After  being  a 
short  time  at  sea,  we  found  all  our  water  gone,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  one  cask.  The  remainder  had  been  lost  by  the 
bursting  of  the  hoops,  in  consequence  of  the  water's  having 
frozen.  We  went  on  a  short  allowance ;  and  suffered  a  good 
deal  by  the  privation.  Our  supercargo,  a  young  gentleman 
of  the  name  of  Croes,  came  near  dying.  We  went  on, 
however,  intending  to  go  into  one  of  the  Cape  de  Verdes. 
We  got  up  our  casks,  and  repaired  them,  in  the  meanwhile. 
Off  the  Island  of  Fuego,  we  hove  to,  and  found  we  could  get 
no  water.  We  got  a  few  goats,  and  a  little  fruit;  but  were 
compelled  to  proceed.  Luckily,  it  came  on  to  rain  very 
hard,  and  we  stopped  all  the  scuppers,  filling  every  cask  we 
had,  in  this  easy  manner.  We  began  about  eight  at  night, 
and  were  through  before  morning.  Capital  water  it  proved ; 
and  it  lasted  us  to  Batavia.  There,  indeed,  it  would  even 
have  brought  a  premium ;  being  so  much  better  than  any 
thing  to  be  had  in  that  port.  It  changed ;  but  sweetened 
itself  very  soon. 

We  first  went  into  Batavia,  and  entered  the  ship ;  after 
which,  we  sailed  for  a  roadstead,  called  Terragall,  to  take 
in  rice.  The  vessel  was  in  ballast,  and  had  brought  money 
to  make  her  purchases  with.  We  got  our  cargo  off  in  boats, 
end  sailed  for  Batavia,  to  clear ;  all  within  a  few  weeks. 


136  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

The  second  night  out,  the  ship  struck,  in  fair  weather,  and 
a  moderate  sea,  on  a  mud-bank ;  and  brought  up  all  stand 
ing.  We  first  endeavoured  to  force  the  vessel  over  the  bank  ; 
but  this  did  not  succeed ;  and,  the  tide  leaving  her,  the  ship 
fell  over  on  her  bilge ;  bringing  her  gunwales  under  water. 
Luckily,  she  lay  quiet;  though  a  good  deal  strained.  The 
captain  now  took  a  boat,  and  four  men,  and  pulled  ashore, 
to  get  prows,  to  lighten  the  vessel.  We  had  but  eight  men 
before  the  mast,  and  six  aft.  This,  of  course,  left  only  nine 
souls  on  board.  That  night  nothing  occurred ;  but,  in  the 
morning  early,  two  piratical  prows  approached,  and  showed 
a  disposition  to  board  us.  Mr.  Croes  was  the  person  who 
saved  the  ship.  He  stuck  up  handspikes,  and  other  objects, 
about  deck  ;  putting  hats  and  caps  on  them,  so  as  to  make 
us  appear  very  strong-handed.  At  the  same  time,  we  got  a 
couple  of  sixes  to  bear  on  the  prows  ;  and  succeeded  in  keep 
ing  them  at  a  safe  distance.  They  hovered  about  until  sun 
set,  when  they  left  us  ;  pulling  ashore.  Just  as  they  were 
quitting  us,  twenty«seven  boats  hove  in  sight ;  and  we  made 
a  signal  to  them,  which  was  not  answered.  We  set  them 
down  as  enemies,  too ;  but,  as  they  came  nearer,  we  per 
ceived  our  own  boat  among  them,  and  felt  certain  it  was  the 
captain. 

We  discharged  everything  betwixt  decks  into  the  boats, 
that  night,  and  got  the  ship  afloat  before  morning.  We  now 
hove  clear  of  the  bank,  restowed  the  cargo,  and  made  sail 
for  Batavia.  The  ship  leaked  badly,  and  kept  us  hard  at 
the  pumps.  As  there  were  no  means  for  repairing  the  ves 
sel  where  we  were,  it  was  resolved  to  take  in  extra  hands, 
ship  two  box-pumps,  and  carry  the  vessel  to  the  Isle  of 
France,  in  order  to  repair  her.  I  did  not  like  the  prospect 
of  such  a  passage,  and  confess  I  played  "  old  soldier"  to  get 
rid  of  it.  I  contrived  to  get,  on  a  sick  ticket,  into  the  hos 
pital,  and  the  ship  sailed  without  me.  At  the  Isle  of  France, 
the  Trio  was  condemned ;  her  hulk  being,  in  truth,  much 
worse  than  my  own,  docked  though  I  was. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     HAST,  137 


CHAPTER    XII. 

As  soon  as  the  Trio  was  off,  I  got  well.  Little  did  I 
then  think  of  the  great  risk  I  ran  in  going  ashore ;  for  it 
was  almost  certain  death  for  an  European  to  land,  for  any 
length  of  time,  at  that  season.  Still  less  did  I,  or  could  I, 
anticipate  what  was  to  happen  to  myself,  in  this  very  hos 
pital,  a  few  years  later ;  or  how  long  I  was  to  be  one  of  its 
truly  suffering,  and,  I  hope,  repentant  inmates.  The  consul 
was  frank  enough  to  tell  me  that  I  had  been  shamming 
Abraham ;  and  I  so  far  imitated  his  sincerity  as  distinctly 
to  state,  it  was  quite  true.  I  thought  the  old  Trio  ought  to 
have  been  left  on  the  bank,  where  Providence  had  placed 
her ;  but,  it  being  the  pleasure  of  her  captain  and  the  super 
cargo  to  take  her  bones  to  the  Isle  of  France  for  burial,  I 
did  not  choose  to  go  so  far,  weeping  through  the  pumps,  to 
attend  her  funeral. 

As  the  consul  held  my  wages,  and  refused  to  give  me  any 
money,  I  was  compelled  to  get  on  board  some  vessel  as  soon 
as  I  could.  Batavia  was  not  a  place  for  an  American  con 
stitution,  and  I  was  glad  to  be  off.  I  shipped,  before  the 
mast,  in  the  Clyde,  of  Salem,  a  good  little  ship,  with  good 
living  and  good  treatment.  We  sailed  immediately,  but  not 
soon  enough  to  escape  the  Batavia  fever.  Two  of  the  crew 
died,  about  a  week  out,  and  were  buried  in  the  Straits  of 
Banca.  The  day  we  lost  sight  of  Java  Head,  it  came  on  to 
blow  fresh,  and  we  had  to  take  in  the  jib,  and  double-reef 
the  topsails.  A  man  of  the  name  of  Day  went  down  on  the 
bowsprit  shrouds  to  clear  the  jib-sheets,  when  the  ship  made 
a  heavy  pitch,  and  washed  him  away.  The  second  mate 
and  myself  got  into  the  boat,  and  were  lowered  as  soon  as 
the  ship  was  rounded-to.  There  was  a  very  heavy  sea  on, 
but  we  succeeded  in  finding  the  poor  fellow,  who  was  swim 
ming  with  great  apparent  strength.  His  face  was  towards 
the  boat,  and,  as  we  came  near,  I  rose,  and  threw  the  blade 
of  my  oar  towards  him,  calling  out  to  him  to  be  of  good 
cheer.  At  this  instant,  Day  seemed  to  spring  nearly  his 
'ength  out  of  water,  and  immediately  sunk.  What  caused 
this  extraordinary  effort,  ard  sudden  failure,  was  never 
12* 


138  NED    MYERS;    OR 

known.  I  ha\e  sometimes  thought  a  shark  must  have  strjck 
him,  though  I  saw  neither  blood  nor  fish.  The  man  was 
hopelessly  lost,  and  we  returned  to  the  ship,  feeling  as  seamen 
always  feel  on  such  occasions. 

A  few  days  later,  another  man  died  of  the  fever.  This 
left  but  five  of  us  in  the  forecastle,  with  the  ship  a  long  way 
to  the  eastward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Before  we  got 
up  with  the  Cape,  another  foremast  hand  went  crazy,  and, 
instead  of  helping  us,  became  a  cause  of  much  trouble  for 
the  rest  of  the  passage.  In  the  end,  he  died,  mad.  We  had 
now  only  three  men  in  a  watch,  the  officers  included ;  and 
of  course,  it  was  trick  and  trick  at  the  helm.  Notwithstand 
ing  all  this,  we  did  very  well,  having  a  good  run,  until  we 
got  on  the  coast,  which  we  reached  in  the  month  of  January. 
A  north-wester  drove  us  off,  and  we  had  a  pretty  tough  week 
of  it,  but  brought  the  ship  up  to  the  Hook,  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  and  anchored  her  safely  in  the  East  River.  The  Clyde 
must  have  been  a  ship  of  about  three  hundred  tons,  and,  in 
cluding  every  one  on  board,  nine  of  us  sailed  her  from  the 
eastward  of  the  Cape  to  her  port,  without  any  serious  diffi 
culty. 

I  did  not  stay  long  ashore,  for  the  money  went  like  smoke, 
but  shipped  in  a  brig  called  the  Margaret,  bound  to  Belfast. 
This  vessel  struck  in  the  Irish  channel,  but  she  was  backed 
off  with  little  difficulty,  and  got  safe  into  her  port.  The  re 
turn  passage  was  pleasant,  and  without  any  accident. 

Such  a  voyage  left  little  to  spend,  and  I  was  soon  on  the 
look-out  for  a  fresh  berth.  I  shipped  this  time  as  mate,  in 
a  brig  called  the  William  Henry,  bound  on  a  smuggling 
voyage  to  the  coast  of  Spain.  We  took  in  tobacco,  segars, 
&c.  &c.,and  the  brig  dropped  down  to  Staten  Island.  Here 
I  quarrelled  with  the  captain  about  some  cotton  wick,  and  I 
threw  up  my  situation.  I  knew  there  were  more  ships  than 
parish  churches,  and  felt  no  concern  about  finding  a  place  in 
one,  up  at  town.  The  balance  of  my  advance  was  paid 
back,  and  I  left  the  smuggling  trade,  like  an  honest  man.  I 
only  wish  this  change  of  purpose  had  proceeded  from  a  better 
motive. 

My  next  windfall  was  Jack's  berth  on  board  a  beautiful 
Jttle  schooner  called  the  Ida,  that  was  to  sail  for  Curaqoa, 
in  the  hope  of  being  purchased  by  the  governor  of  the  island 


A     LIFE      BEFORE     THE     MAST.  139 

!br  a  yacht.  I  expected  to  find  my  way  to  the  Spanish 
main,  after  the  craft  was  sold.  We  got  out  without  any 
accident,  going  into  port  of  a  Sunday  morning.  The  same 
morning,  an  English  frigate  and  a  sloop-of-war  came  in  and 
anchored.  That  afternoon  these  vessels  commenced  giving 
liberty  to  their  men.  We  were  alongside  of  a  wharf,  and, 
in  the  afternoon,  our  crew  took  a  drift  in  some  public  gar 
dens  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town.  Here  an  incident  occurred 
that  is  sufficiently  singular  to  be  mentioned. 

I  was  by  myself  in  the  garden,  ruminating  on  the  past, 
and,  I  suppose,  looking  melancholy  and  in  the  market,  when 
I  perceived  an  English  man-of-war's-man  eyeing  me  pretty 
closely.  After  a  while,  he  came  up,  and  fell  into  discourse 
with  me.  Something  that  fell  from  him  made  me  distrust 
him  from  the  first,  and  I  acted  with  great  caution.  After 
sounding  me  for  some  time,  he  inquired  if  I  had  any  berth. 
I  told  him,  no.  He  then  went  on,  little  by  little,  until  he  got 
such  answers  as  gave  him  confidence,  when  he  let  me  into 
the  secret  of  his  real  object.  He  said  he  belonged  to  the 
frigate,  and  had  liberty  until  next  morning — that  he  and  four 
of  his  shipmates  who  were  ashore,  had  determined  to  get 
possess  ion  of  the  pretty  little  Yankee  schooner  that  was  lying 
alongside  of  the  Telegraph,  at  the  wharf,  and  carry  her  down 
to  Laguayra.  All  this  was  to  be  done  that  night,  and  he 
wished  me  to  join  the  party.  By  what  fell  from  this  man, 
I  made  no  doubt  his  design  was  to  turn  pirate,  after  he  had 
sold  the  flour  then  in  the  Ida.  I  encouraged  him  to  go  on, 
and  we  drank  together,  until  he  let  me  into  his  whole  plan. 
The  scheme  was  to  come  on  board  the  schooner,  after  the 
crew  had  turned  in,  to  fasten  all  hands  below,  set  the  foresail 
and  jib,  and  run  out  with  the  land-breeze;  a  thing  that  was 
feasible  enough,  considering  there  is  never  any  watch  kept 
in  merchant-vessels  that  lie  at  wharves. 

After  a  long  talk,  I  consented  to  join  the  enterprise,  and 
agreed  to  be,  at  nine  o'clock,  on  board  the  Telegraph,  a 
Philadelphia  ship,  outside  of  which  our  schooner  lay.  This 
vessel  had  a  crew  of  blacks,  and,  as  most  of  them  were  then 
ashore,  it  was  supposed  many  would  not  return  to  her  that 
night.  My  conspirator  observed — "  the  Yankees  that  be- 
'ong  to  the  schooner  are  up  yonder  in  the  garden,  and  will 
be  half  drunk,  so  they  will  all  be  sound  asleep,  and  can 


140  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

give  us  little  trouble."  I  remember  he  professed  to  have  no 
intention  of  hurting  any  of  us,  but  merely  to  run  away  with 
us,  and  sell  the  craft  from  under  us.  We  parted  with  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  manner  in  which  everything  was 
to  be  done. 

I  know  no  other  reason  why  this  man  chose  to  select  me 
for  his  companion  in  such  an  adventure,  than  the  circum 
stance  that  I  happened  to  be  alone,  and  perhaps  I  may  have 
looked  a  little  under  the  weather.  He  was  no  sooner  gone, 
however,  than  I  managed  to  get  near  my  shipmates,  and  to 
call  them  out  of  the  garden,  one  by  one.  As  we  went 
away,  I  told  them  all  that  had  happened,  and  we  laid  our 
counter-plot.  When  we  reached  the  Telegraph,  it  was  near 
night,  and  finding  only  two  of  the  blacks  on  board  her,  we 
let  them  into  the  secret,  and  they  joined  us,  heart  and  hand. 
We  got  something  to  drink,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  tried 
to  pass  the  time  as  well  as  we  could,  until  the  hour  for 
springing  the  mine  should  arrive. 

Pretty  punctually  to  the  hour,  we  heard  footsteps  on  the 
quay,  and  then  a  gang  of  men  stopped  alongside  of  the  ship. 
We  stowed  ourselves  under  the  bulwarks,  and  presently  the 
gentlemen  came  on  board,  one  by  one.  The  negroes  were 
too  impatient,  however,  springing  out  upon  their  prey  a  little 
too  soon.  We  secured  three  of  the  rascals,  but  two  escaped 
us,  by  jumping  down  upon  the  quay  and  running.  Consider 
ing  we  were  all  captains,  this  was  doing  pretty  well. 

Our  three  chaps  were  Englishmen,  and  I  make  no  doubt 
belonged  to  the  frigate,  as  stated.  As  soon  as  they  were 
fairly  pinned,  and  they  understood  there  was  no  officer 
among  us,  they  began  to  beg.  They  said  their  lives  would 
be  forfeited  if  we  gave  them  up,  and  they  entreated  us  to  let 
them  go.  We  kept  them  about  half  an  hour,  and  finally 
yielded  to  their  solicitations,  giving  them  their  liberty  again. 
They  were  very  thankful  for  their  escape,  especially  as  I 
told  them  what  had  passed  between  myself  and  the  man  in 
the  garden.  This  fellow  was  one  of  the  two  that  escaped, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  might  very  well  be 
come  a  leader  among  pirates. 

The  next  day  the  two  men-of-war  went  to  sea,  and  I 
make  no  doubt  carried  off  the  intended  pirates  in  them.  As 
for  us  seamen,  we  never  told  our  own  officers  anything 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  141 

about  the  affair,  for  I  was  not  quite  satisfied  with  myself, 
after  letting  the  scoundrels  go.  One  scarcely  knows  what 
to  do  in  such  a  case,  as  one  does  not  like  to  be  the  means 
of  getting  a  fellow-creature  hanged,  or  of  letting  a  rogue  es 
cape.  A  pirate,  of  all  scoundrels,  deserves  no  mercy,  and 
yet  Jack  does  not  relish  the  idea  of  being  a  sort  of  Jack 
Ketch,  neither.  If  the  thing  were  to  be  done  over  again,  I 
think  I  should  hold  on  to  my  prisoners. 

We  discharged  our  cargo  of  flour,  and  failing  in  the  at 
tempt  to  sell  the  schooner,  we  took  in  dye-wood,  and  re 
turned  to  New  York.  I  now  made  a  serious  attempt  to 
alter  my  mode  of  living,  and  to  try  to  get  up  a  few  rounds 
of  the  great  ladder  of  life.  Hitherto,  I  had  felt  a  singular 
indifference  whether  I  went  to  sea  as  an  officer,  or  as  a 
foremast  Jack,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  I  had  a  mar 
riage  with  Sarah  in  view.  But  I  was  now  drawing  near  to 
thirty,  and  if  anything  was  to  be  done,  it  must  be  done  at 
once.  Looking  about  me,  I  found  a  brig  called  the  Hippo- 
menes,  bound  to  Gibraltar,  and  back.  I  shipped  before  the 
mast,  but  kept  a  reckoning,  and  did  all  I  could  to  qualify 
myself  to  become  an  officer.  We  had  a  winter  passage  out, 
but  a  pleasant  one  home.  Nothing  worthy  of  being  record 
ed,  however,  occurred.  I  still  continued  to  be  tolerably 
correct,  and  after  a  short  stay  on  shore,  I  shipped  in  the 
Belle  Savage,  commanded  by  one  of  the  liberated  Halifax 
prisoners,  who  had  come  home  in  the  Swede,  at  the  time  of 
my  own  return.  This  person  agreed  to  take  me  as  chief 
mate,  and  I  shipped  accordingly.  The  Belle  Savage  was  a 
regular  Curacoa  trader,  and  we  sailed  ten  or  twelve  days 
after  the  Hippomenes  got  in.  Our  passages  both  ways  were 
pleasant  and  safe,  and  I  stuck  by  the  craft,  endeavouring  to 
be  less  thoughtless  and  careless  about  myself.  I  cannot 
say,  however,  I  had  any  very  serious  plans  -for  making 
provision  for  old  age,  my  maxim  being  to  live  as  I  went 
along. 

Our  second  passage  out  to  Curaqoa,  in  the  Belle  Savage, 
was  pleasant,  and  brought  about  nothing  worthy  of  being 
mentioned.  At  Curaqoa  we  took  in  mahogany,  and  in  so 
doing  a  particularly  large  log  got  away  from  us,  and  slid, 
end  on,  against  the  side  of  the  vessel.  We  saw  no  con 
sequences  at  the  time,  and  went  on  to  fill  up,  with  different 


142  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

articles,  principally  dye-woods,  coffee,  cocoa,  &c.  We  get 
some  passengers,  among  whom  was  a  Jew  merchant,  who 
had  a  considerable  amount  of  money  on  board.  When 
ready,  we  sailed,  being  thirty  souls  in  all,  crew  and  passen 
gers  included. 

The  Belle  Savage  had  cleared  the  islands,  and  was  stand 
ing  on  her  course,  one  day,  with  a  fair  wind  and  a  five  or 
six  knot  breeze,  under  a  fore-top-mast  studding-sail,  every 
thing  looking  bright  and  prosperous.  The  brig  must  have 
been  about  a  day's  run  to  the  southward  of  Bermuda.  It 
was  my  watch  below,  but  having  just  breakfasted,  I  was  on 
deck,  and  looking  about  me  carelessly,  I  was  struck  with 
the  appearance  of  the  vessel's  being  deeper  than  common. 
I  had  a  little  conversation  about  it,  with  a  man  in  the  fore- 
chains,  who  thought  the  same  thing.  This  man  leaned  over, 
in  order  to  get  a  better  look,  when  he  called  out  that  he 
could  see  that  we  had  started  a  butt !  I  went  over,  imme 
diately,  and  got  a  look  at  this  serious  injury.  A  butt  had 
started,  sure  enough,  just  under  the  chains,  but  so  low  down 
as  to  be  quite  out  of  our  reach.  The  plank  had  started 
quite  an  inch,  and  it  was  loosened  as  much  as  two  feet, 
forward  and  aft.  We  sounded  the  pumps,  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  and  found  the  brig  was  half  full  of  water ! 

All  hands  were  now  called  to  get  both  the  boats  afloat, 
and  there  was  certainly  no  time  to  be  lost.  The  water  rose 
over  the  cabin-floor  while  we  were  doing  it.  We  did  not 
stand  to  get  up  tackles,  but  cut  away  the  rail  and  launched 
the  long-boat  by  hand.  We  got  the  passengers,  men,  wo 
men,  children,  and  servants  into  her,  as  fast  as  possible,  and 
followed  ourselves.  Fortunately,  there  had  been  a  brig  in 
company  for  some  time,  and  she  was  now  less  than  two 
leagues  ahead  of  us,  outsailing  the  Belle  Savage  a  little.  We 
had  hoisted  our  ensign,  union  down,  as  a  signal  of  distress, 
and  well  knew  she  must  see  that  our  craft  had  sunk,  after 
it  happened,  if  she  did  not  observe  our  ensign.  She  per 
ceived  the  signal,  however,  and  could  not  fail  to  notice  the 
manner  in  which  the  brig  was  all  adrift,  as  soon  as  we  de 
serted  the  helm.  The  strange  brig  had  hauled  up  for  us 
even  before  we  got  out  the  launch.  This  rendered  any  sup. 
ply  of  food  or  water  unnecessary,  and  we  were  soon  read} 
to  shove  off.  I  was  in  the  small  boat,  with  three  men.  We 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  148 

pjlled  off  a  little  distance,  and  lay  looking  at  our  sinking 
craft  with  saddened  eyes.  Even  the  gold,  that  precious  dust 
which  lures  so  many  souls  to  eternal  perdition,  was  abandon 
ed  in  the  hurry  to  save  the  remnants  of  lives  to  be  passed 
on  earth.  The  Belle  Savage  settled  quite  slowly  into  the 
ocean,  one  sail  disappearing  after  another,  her  main-royal 
being  the  last  thing  that  went  out  of  sight,  looking  like  the 
lug  of  a  man-of-war's  boat  on  the  water.  It  is  a  solemn 
thing  to  see  a  craft  thus  swallowed  up  in  the  great  vortex 
of  the  ocean. 

The  brig  in  sight  proved  to  be  the  Mary,  of  New  York, 
from  St.  Thomas,  bound  home.  She  received  us  kindly, 
and  six  days  later  landed  us  all  at  no  great  distance  from 
Fulton  Market.  When  my  foot  touched  the  wharf,  my 
whole  estate  was  under  my  hat,  and  my  pockets  were  as 
empty  as  a  vessel  with  a  swept  hold.  On  the  wharf,  itself, 
I  saw  a  man  who  had  been  second-mate  of  the  Tontine,  the 
little  ship  in  which  I  had  sailed  when  I  first  ran  from  the 
Sterling.  He  was  now  master  of  a  brig  called  the  Mechanic, 
that  was  loading  near  by,  for  Trinidad  de  Cuba.  He 
heard  my  story,  and  shipped  me  on  the  spot,  at  nine  dollars 
a  month,  as  a  forward  hand.  I  began  to  think  I  was  born 
to  bad  luck,  and  being  almost  naked,  was  in  nowise  partic 
ular  what  became  of  me.  I  had  not  the  means  of  getting 
a  mate's  outfit,  though  I  might  possibly  have  got  credit ;  but 
at  no  period  of  my  life  did  I  run  in  debt.  Here,  then,  my 
craft  got  stern-way  on  her  again,  and  I  had  a  long  bit  of 
rough  water  to  go  over. 

The  Mechanic  sailed  four  or  five  days  after  the  Mary 
arrived,  and  I  travelled  the  old  road  over  again.  Nothing 
nappened  until  we  got  to  the  southward  of  Cuba.  But  my 
bad  luck  had  thrown  me  into  the  West  India  trade  at  the 
very  moment  when  piracy  was  coming  to  its  height  in  those 
seas,  though  I  never  thought  on  the  subject  at  all.  Off  the 
Isle  of  Pines,  one  morning,  we  made  a  schooner  and  a  sloop, 
inshore  of  us,  and  both  bore  up  in  chase.  We  knew  them 
to  be  pirates,  and  crowded  sail  dead  before  the  wind  to  get 
clear.  The  captain  determined,  if  necessary,  to  run  dowr 
as  far  as  Jamaica,  where  he  expected  to  fall  in  with  some 
of  the  English  cruisers.  The  schooner  sailed  very  fast,  arid 
was  for  coming  up  with  us,  but  they  made  the  mistake  of 


144  NED     MYERS       OR, 

setting  a  flying-topsail  on  board  her,  and  from  that  moment 
we  dropped  her.  It  was  thought  in  our  brig,  that  the  little 
craft  buried  too  much,  with  such  a  pressure  aloft.  The 
chase  lasted  all  day,  a  Sunday,  and  a  part  of  the  night ;  but 
the  following  morning  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  either  of 
our  pursuers.  Our  captain,  whose  name  was  Ray,  thought 
he  knew  who  commanded  the  schooner,  a  man  who  had 
been  his  enemy,  and  it  was  believed  the  pirates  knew  our 
brig,  as  she  was  a  regular  trader  to  Trinidad.  This  made 
our  captain  more  ticklish,  and  was  the  reason  he  was  off  so 
soon. 

When  we  found  the  coast  clear,  we  hauled  up,  again,  and 
made  our  port  without  further  molestation.  The  chase  was 
so  common  a  thing,  that  little  was  said  about  the  affair.  We 
discharged,  took  in  a  new  cargo,  and  sailed  for  home  in  due 
time.  Care  was  had  in  sailing  at  an  early  hour,  and  we  sent 
a  boat  out  to  look  if  the  coast  were  clear,  before  we  put  to 
sea.  We  met  with  no  interruption,  however,  reaching  New 
Fork  in  due  time. 

Captain  Ray  was  desirous  I  should' stick  by  the  brig;  but, 
for  some  reason  I  cannot  explain,  I  felt  averse  to  returning 
to  Trinidad.  I  liked  the  vessel  well  enough,  was  fond  of 
the  captain,  and  thought  little  of  the  pirates ;  and  yet  I  felt 
an  unaccountable  reluctance  to  re-shipping  in  the  craft.  It 
was  well  I  had  this  feeling,  for,  I  have  since  heard,  this  very 
schooner  got  the  brig  the  next  passage  out,  murdered  all 
hands,  and  burnt  the  vessel,  in  sight  of  the  port !  I  set  this 
escape  down,  as  one  of  the  many  unmerited  favours  I  have 
received  from  Providence. 

My  next  berth  was  that  of  second-mate  on  board  a  new 
ship,  in  the  Charleston  trade,  called  the  Franklin.  I  made 
the  voyage,  and,  for  a  novelty,  did  not  run  in  the  southern 
port,  which  was  a  rare  circumstance  in  that  place. 

I  got  but  twelve  dollars,  as  dickey,  in  the  Franklin,  and 
left  her  to  get  twenty,  with  the  same  berth,  on  board  a  ship 
called  the  Foster,  commanded  by  the  same  master  as  had 
commanded  the  Jane,  in  my  former  voyage  to  Ireland. 
The  Foster  was  bound  to  Belfast,  which  port  we  reached 
without  any  accident.  We  took  in  salt,  and  a  few  boxes  of 
linens,  for  Norfolk ;  arrived  safe,  discharged,  and  went  up 
the  James  river  to  City  Point,  after  a  cargo  of  tobacco 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  145 

Thence  we  sailed  for  Rotterdam.  The  ship  brought  back  a 
quantity  of  gin  to  New  York,  and  this  gin  caused  me  some 
trouble.  We  had  a  tremendous  passage  home — one  of  the 
worst  I  ever  experienced  at  sea.  The  ship's  rudder  got 
*oose,  and  was  secured  with  difficulty.  We  had  to  reef  all 
three  of  our  top-masts,  also,  to  save  the  spars ;  after  which 
we  could  only  carry  double-reefed  topsails.  It  was  in  the 
dead  of  winter,  and  the  winds  hung  to  the  westward  for  a 
long  time.  The  cook,  a  surly  negro,  was«slack  in  duty,  and 
refused  to  make  scous  for  us,  though  there  were  plenty  of 
potatoes  on  board.  All  the  people  but  five  were  off  duty, 
and  it  came  hard  on  those  who  kept  watch.  We  determined, 
at  length,  to  bring  the  black  to  his  senses,  and  I  had  him 
seized  to  the  windlass.  Everybody  but  the  captain  took 
three  clips  at  him ;  the  fellow  being  regularly  cobbed,  accord 
ing  to  sea  usage.  This  was  lawful  punishment  for  a  cook. 
We  got  our  scous  after  this,  but  the  negro  logged  the 
whole  transaction,  as  one  may  suppose.  He  was  particu 
larly  set  against  me,  as  I  had  been  ringleader  in  the  cobbing. 
The  weather  continued  bad,  the  watches  were  much  fagged, 
and  the  ship  gave  no  grog.  At  length  I  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  or  thought  I  could  not ;  and  I  led  down  betwixt  decks, 
tapped  a  cask  of  gin,  introduced  the  stem  of  a  clean  pipe 
and  took  a  nip  at  the  bowl.  All  my  watch  smoked  this  pipe 
pretty  regularly,  first  at  one  cask  and  then  at  another,  until 
we  got,  into  port.  The  larboard  watch  did  the  same,  and  I 
do  think  the  strong  liquor  helped  us  along  that  time.  As 
bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  cook's  wood  was  stowed  among 
the  casks,  and,  one  morning,  just  as  the  last  of  us  had 
knocked  off  smoking,  we  saw  the  wool  of  this  gentleman 
heaving  in  sight,  through  the  hatch  by  which  we  went  down. 
Still,  nothing  was  said  until  we  came  to  be  paid  off,  when 
the  darky  came  out  with  his  yarn.  I  owned  it  all,  and  in 
sisted  we  never  could  have  brought  the  ship  in,  unless  we 
had  got  the  gin.  I  do  believe  both  captain  and  owner  were 
sorry  we  had  been  complained  of,  but  they  could  not  over 
look  the  matter.  I  was  mulcted  five-and-twenty  dollars,  and 
left  the  ship.  I  know  I  did  wrong,  and  I  know  that  the 
owners  did  what  was  right ;  but  I  cannot  help  thinking,  bad 
as  gin  is  on  a  long  pull,  that  this  did  us  good.  I  was  not 
driven  from  the  ship ;  on  the  contrary,  both  master  and 
13 


146  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

owners  wished  me  to  remain ;  but  I  felt  a  little  savage,  and 
quitted  their  employment. 

That  I  did  not  carry  a  very  bad  character  away  with  me, 
is  to  be  proved  by  the  fact  that  I  shipped,  the  same  day,  on 
board  the  Washington,  a  vessel  bound  to  London,  and  which 
lay  directly  alongside  of  the  Foster.  I  had  the  'same  berth 
as  that  I  had  just  left,  with  the  advantage  of  getting  better 
wages.  This  voyage  carried  me  to  London  for  the  first  time 
since  I  left  it  in  the  Sterling.  Too  many  years  had  elapsed, 
in  the  interval,  for  me  to  find  any  old  acquaintances ;  and  I 
had  grown  from  a  boy  to  a  man.  Here  I  got  a  little  insight 
into  the  business  of  carrying  passengers,  our  ship  bringing 
more  or  less,  each  passage.  I  stuck  by  the  Washington  a 
year,  making  no  less  than  three  voyages  in  her ;  the  last,  as 
her  chief  mate.  Nothing  occurred  worth  mentioning  in  the 
four  first  passages  across  the  Atlantic;  but  the  fifth  pro 
duced  a  little  more  variety. 

The  Washington  had  proved  to  be  a  leaky  ship,  every 
passage  I  made  in  her.  We  had  docked  her  twice  in  Lon 
don,  and  it  had  done  her  good.  The  first  week  out,  on  the 
fifth  passage,  the  ship  proved  tight,  but  the  weather  was  mo 
derate.  It  came  on  to  blow  heavily,  however,  when  we  got 
to  the  eastward  of  the  Banks ;  and  the  vessel,  which  was 
scudding  under  her  close-reefed  main-topsail  and  foresail, 
laboured  so  much,  that  I  became  uneasy.  I  knew  she  was 
overloaded,  and  was  afraid  of  the  effects  of  a  gale.  It  was 
my  practice  to  keep  one  pump  ready  for  sounding  the  wells, 
and  I  never  neglected  this  duty  in  my  watch.  When  the 
gale  was  at  the  height,  in  my  forenoon's  watch  below,  I  felt 
so  uncomfortable,  that  I  turned  out  and  went  on  deck,  in  no 
thing  but  my  trowsers,  to  sound,  although  I  had  sounded  less 
than  two  hours  before,  and  found  the  water  at  the  sucking- 
height,  only.  To  my  surprise,  it  was  now  three  feet ! 

This  change  was  so  great  and  so  sudden,  all  of  us  thought 
there  must  be  some  mistake.  I  carried  the  rod  below,  to  dry 
it,  and  covered  the  lower  part  with  ashes.  I  could  not  have 
been  busy  in  drying  the  rod  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
when  it  was  lowered  again.  The  water  had  risen  several 
inches  in  that  short  period ! 

All  this  looked  very  serious ;  and  I  began  to  think  a  third 
craft  was  to  founder  under  me.  After  a  short  consultation 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  147 

it  was  determined  to  lighten  the  ship.  The  foresail  was 
hauled  up,  the  men  got  into  the  rigging  to  keep  clear  of  tho 
seas,  and  the  vessel  was  rounded-to.  We  then  knocked 
away  the  wash-boards  in  the  wake  of  the  two  hatches,  and 
began  to  tumble  the  barrels  of  turpentine  on  deck.  I  never 
felt  so  strong  in  my  life,  nor  did  so  much  work  in  so  short  a 
time.  During  the  labour  I  went  below  to  splice  the  main- 
brace,  and,  after  putting  a  second-mate's  nip  of  brandy  into  my 
glass,  filled  it,  as  I  supposed,  with  water,  drinking  it  all  down 
without  stopping  to  breathe.  It  turned  out  that  my  water 
was  high-proof  gin ;  yet  this  draught  had  no  more  effect  on 
me  than  if  it  had  been  so  much  cold  water.  In  ordinary 
times,  it  would  have  made  me  roaring  drunk. 

We  tumbled  up  all  the  cargo  from  betwixt  decks,  landing 
it  on  deck,  where  it  rolled  into  the  sea  of  itself,  and  were 
about  to  begin  upon  the  lower  hold,  when  the  captain  called 
out  avast,  as  the  pumps  gained  fast.  Half  an  hour  later, 
they  sucked.  This  was  joyful  news,  indeed,  for  I  had  be 
gun  to  think  we  should  be  driven  to  the  boats.  Among  the 
cargo  were  some  pickled  calf-skins.  In  the  height  of  the 
danger  I  caught  the  cook  knocking  the  head  out  of  a  cask, 
and  stowing  some  of  the  skins  in  a  tub.  Asking  the  reason 
why  he  did  this,  he  told  me  he  wanted  to  take  some  of  those 
fine  skins  home  with  him !  It  was  a  pity  they  should  be 
lost ! 

As  soon  as  the  pumps  sucked,  the  ship  was  kept  away  to 
her  course,  and  she  proved  to  be  as  tight  as  a  bottle.  Eight 
or  ten  days  later,  while  running  on  our  course  under  stud 
ding-sails,  we  made  a  large  vessel  ahead,  going  before  the 
wind  like  ourselves,  but  carrying  reefed  topsails,  with  top 
gallant-sails  over  them,  and  her  ensign  whipped.  Of  course 
we  neared  her  fast,  and  as  we  came  up  with  her,  saw  that 
she  was  full  of  men,  and  that  her  crew  were  pumping  and 
bailing.  We  knew  how  to  pity  the  poor  fellows,  and  run* 
ning  alongside,  demanded  the  news.  We  were  answered 
first  with  three  cheers,  after  which  we  heard  their  story. 

The  vessel  was  an  English  bark,  full  of  soldiers,  bound 
to  New  Brunswick.  She  had  sprung  a  leak,  like  ourselves, 
and  was  only  kept  afloat  by  constant  pumping  and  bailing. 
She  had  put  back  for  England  on  account  of  the  wind  and 
the  distance.  Our  captain  was  asked  to  keep  near  the  tians- 


148  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

port,  and  we  shortened  sail  accordingly.  For  three  days 
and  nights  the  two  vessels  ran  side  by  side,  within  hail  ; 
our  passengers  and  officers  drinking  to  theirs,  and  vice  versd, 
at  dinner.  On  the  fourth  day,  the  weather  being  fine,  the 
wind  fair,  and  our  reckoning  making  us  near  the  channel, 
we  told  the  Englishman  we  would  run  ahead,  make  the  land, 
and  heave-to.  We  stood  in  so  far  that  the  poor  fellows 
owned  afterwards  they  thought  we  had  left  them.  This  was 
not  our  intention,  however,  for  we  no  sooner  made  the  land 
than  we  hauled  up,  and  brought  them  the  joyful  news  of  its 
vicinity.  They  cheered  us  again,  as  we  closed  with  them, 
and  both  ships  jogged  on  in  company. 

Next  morning,  being  well  in  with  the  land,  and  many 
vessels  in  sight,  the  Englishmen  desired  us  to  make  sail,  as 
they  could  carry  their  bark  into  Falmouth.  We  did  so, 
and  reached  London,  in  due  time.  On  our  return  to  New 
York,  the  Washington  was  sold,  and  I  lost  my  preferment 
in  that  employment,  though  I  went  with  a  character  to  an 
other  vessel,  and  got  the  same  berth. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

MY  next  craft  was  the  Camillus,  a  ship  that  was  bound 
to  Greenock,  via  Charleston.  We  got  to  the  latter  port 
without  accident,  and  took  in  a  cargo  of  cotton.  The  ship 
was  all  ready  for  sailing  of  a  Saturday,  and  the  captain  had 
gone  ashore,  telling  me  he  would  be  on  board  early  in  the 
morning,  when  we  could  haul  out  and  go  to  sea,  should  the 
wind  be  favourable.  I  gave  the  people  their  Saturday's 
night,  and  went  into  the  cabin  to  freshen  the  nip,  myself. 
I  took  a  glass  or  two,  and  certainly  had  more  in  me  than  is 
good  for  a  man,  though  I  was  far  from  being  downright 
drunk.  In  a  word,  I  had  too  much,  though  I  could  havo 
carried  a  good  deal  more,  on  a  pinch.  The  steward  had 
gone  ashore,  and  there  being  no  second-mate,  I  was  all 
alone. 

In  this  state  of  things,  I  heard  a  noise,  and  went  on  deck 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  149 

Co  inquire  what  was  the  matter.  My  old  ship,  the  Frank 
lin,  was  shifting  her  berth,  and  her  jib-boom  had  come  foul 
of  our  taffrail.  After  some  hailing,  I  got  on  the  taffrail  to 
shove  our  neighbour  off,  when,  by  some  carelessness  of  my 
own,  I  fell  head-foremost,  hitting  the  gunwale  of  the  boat, 
which  was  hanging,  about  half  way  up  to  the  davits,  into 
the  water.  The  tide  set  me  away,  and  carried  me  between 
the  wharf  and  the  ship  astern  of  us,  which  happened  to  be 
the  William  Thompson,  Captain  Thompson,  owner  Thomp 
son,  mate  Thompson,  and  all  Thompson,  as  Mathews  used 
to  have  it.  Captain  Thompson  was  reading  near  the  cabin 
windows,  and  he  luckily  heard  me  groan.  Giving  the 
alarm,  a  boat  was  got  round,  and  I  taken  in.  As  the 
night  was  dark,  and  I  lost  all  consciousness  after  the  fall,  I 
consider  this  escape  as  standing  second  only  to  that  from 
the  shark  in  the  West  Indies,  and  old  Trant's  gun,  the 
night  the  Scourge  went  down.  I  did  not  recover  my  recol 
lection  for  several  hours.  This  was  not  the  effect  of  liquor, 
but  of  the  fall,  as  I  remember  everything  distinctly  that  oc 
curred  before  I  went  from  the  taffrail.  Still  I  confess  that 
liquor  did  all  the  mischief,  as  I  had  drunk  just  enough  to 
make  me  careless. 

In  the  morning,  I  found  myself  disabled  in  the  left 
arm,  and  I  went  to  a  doctor.  This  gentleman  said  he 
never  told  a  fellow  what  ailed  him  until  he  got  his  whack. 
I  gave  him  a  dollar,  and  he  then  let  me  into  the  secret. 
My  collar-bone  was  broken.  "  And,  now,"  says  he,  "  for 
another  dollar  I'll  patch  you  up." '  I  turned  out  the  other 
Spaniard,  when  he  was  as  good  as  his  word.  Going  in  the 
ship,  however,  was  out  of  the  question,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  get  a  young  man  to  go  on  board  the  Camillus  in  my 
place ;  thus  losing  the  voyage  and  my  berth. 

I  was  now  ashore,  with  two  or  three  months  of  drift  be 
fore  me.  Since  the  time  I  joined  the  Washington,  I  had 
been  going  regularly  ahead,  and  I  do  think  had  I  been  able 
to  stick  by  the  Camillus,  I  might  have  brought  up  a  master, 
I  had  laid  up  money,  and  being  employed  while  in  port, 
I  was  gradually  losing  my  taste  for  sailor  amusements, 
and  getting  more  respect  for  myself.  That  fall  from  the 
/affrail  was  a  sad  drawback  for  me,  and  1  never  recovered 
the  he-way  it  brought  about. 
13* 


150  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

I  was  more  than  two  months  ashore,  behaving  myself 
rationally  on  account  of  my  arm.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
I  went  on  board  the  Sally,  a  ship  also  bound  to  Greenock, 
as  her  second-mate.  This  vessel  belonged  to  Charleston, 
and  it  was  intended  she  should  return  to  her  own  port.  The 
voyage  turned  out  well,  and  my  arm  got  as  strong  as  ever. 
On  reaching  Charleston,  I  left  the  craft,  which  was  laid  up, 
and  shipped  in  a  schooner  of  the  same  name,  bound  to  St. 
Domingo,  as  her  chief  mate.  This  was  no  great  craft,  cer 
tainly,  though  she  proved  a  tight,  wholesome  sea-boat.  We 
went  out  without  any  accident,  arriving  in  safety  at  Cape 
Henry.  After  discharging  cargo,  and  smuggling  on  board 
a  quantity  of  doubloons  —  four  hundred  and  eighty,  it  was 
said  —  we  got  under  way  for  the  island  of  Cuba.  We  in 
tended  to  go  into  Matanzas,  and  kept  along  the  coast.  After 
crossing  the  Windward  Passage,  we  reached  Cuba ;  and 
were  standing  on,  with  a  light  wind,  under  our  squaresail, 
the  morning  of  the  third  day  out,  when  we  saw  a  large  boat, 
carrying  two  sails,  standing  out  from  the  shore,  evidently  in 
chase  of  the  schooner.  We  had  on  board  eight  souls,  viz. 
the  owner,  a  Frenchman,  who  had  been  a  dragoon  in  the 
service  of  his  own  country,  but  who  was  now  between  sev 
enty  and  eighty ;  the  captain,  myself,  a  boy,  the  cook,  and 
four  men  forward.  We  could  see  that  there  were  nine  men 
in  the  boat.  We  had  no  arms  in  the  schooner,  not  even  a 
pistol,  and  the  men  in  the  boat  had  muskets.  We  did  not 
ascertain  this  last  fact,  however,  for  some  time.  I  thought 
the  strangers  pirates  the  moment  I  saw  them  come  out  from 
•jnder  the  land,  but  the  captain  maintained  that  they  were 
turtle-men.  The  boat  was  rowing,  and  came  up  with  us, 
hand  over  hand.  When  near,  they  commenced  firing  mus 
kets  at  us,  to  drive  us  below.  All  the  crew  forward,  with 
the  cook,  ran  down  into  the  forecastle,  leaving  no  one  on 
deck  but  the  captain,  the  old  Frenchman,  and  myself.  The 
boy  got  into  the  companion-way. 

What  the  others  did  on  deck,  as  these  gentry  came  along 
side,  amusing  themselves  with  keeping  up  a  smart  fire  of 
musketry,  I  do  not  know ;  but  my  own  occupation  was  to 
dodge  behind  the  foremast.  It  was  not  long,  however,  be- 
fore  they  came  tumbling  in,  and  immediately  got  possession 
of  the  schooner.  One  or  two  came  forward  and  secured  tho 


A    LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  151 

forecastle  hatch,  to  keep  the  people  down.  Then  they  pro 
bably  felt  that  they  were  masters.  One  chap  drew  a  fear 
ful-looking  knife,  long,  slender,  sharp  and  glittering,  and  he 
cut  the  halyards  of  the  square-sail.  All  the  men  I  saw  in 
the  schooner  struck  me  as  Americans,  or  English,  affecting 
to  be  Spaniards.  There  is  such  a  difference  in  the  height, 
complexion,  and  general  appearance  of  the  people  of  Spain, 
and  those  of  the  two  other  countries,  without  reference  to 
the  manner  of  speaking,  that  I  do  not  think  I  could  be  mis 
taken.  I  saw  but  one  man  among  these  pirates,  whom  I 
took  for  a  real  Spaniard.  It  is  true  their  faces  were  all 
blacked  to  disguise  them,  but  one  could  get  enough  glimpses 
of  the  skin  to  judge  of  the  true  colour.  There  was  no  negro 
among  them. 

The  chap  who  cut  away  the  square-sail  halyards,  I  felt 
certain  was  no  Spaniard.  The  sail  was  no  sooner  down, 
than  he  ran  his  knife  along  the  head,  below  the  bolt-rope,  as 
if  to  cut  away  the  cloth  with  the  least  trouble  to  himself.  1 
was  standing  near,  and  asked  him  why  he  destroyed  the 
sail ;  if  he  wanted  it,  why  he  did  not  take  it  whole  ?  At 
this,  he  turned  short  round  upon  me,  raised  his  arm,  and 
struck  a  heavy  blow  at  me  with  his  fearful-looking  knife. 
The  point  of  the  deadly  weapon  struck  square  on  my  breast 
bone  !  I  fell,  partly  through  the  force  of  the  blow,  and 
partly  from  policy ;  for  I  thought  it  safest  to  be  lying  on 
my  back.  I  got  several  hearty  kicks,  in  addition  to  this 
fierce  attack,  together  with  sundry  curses  in  broken  Spanish. 
I  spoke  in  English,  of  course  ;  and  that  the  man  understood 
me  was  clear  enough  by  the  expression  of  his  countenance, 
and  his  act.  The  wound  was  slight,  though  it  bled  a  good 
deal,  covering  my  shirt  and  trowsers  with  blood,  as  much  as 
if  I  had  been  run  through  the  heart.  An  inch  or  two,  either 
way,  in  the  direction  of  the  knife,  would  certainly  have 
killed  me. 

I  do  not  know  what  might  have  been  the  end  of  this 
ailair,  had  not  one  of  the  pirates  come  forward,  at  this  criti 
cal  instant,  and  checked  my  assailant  by  shaking  a  fingei 
at  him.  This  man,  I  feel  very  certain,  I  knew.  I  will  not 
mention  his  name,  as  there  is  a  doubt ;  but  I  cannot  think  I 
was  mistaken.  If  I  am  right,  he  was  a  young  man  from 
Connecticut,  who  sailed  one  voyage  to  Liverpool  with  mn  in 


152  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

the  Sterling.  With  that  young  man  I  had  been  very  inf  • 
mate,  and  was  oftener  with  him  ashore  than  with  any  other 
of  the  crew.  His  face  was  blackened,  like  those  of  all  his 
companions,  but  this  did  not  conceal  his  air,  manner,  size, 
eyes  and  voice.  When  he  spoke,  it  was  in  a  jargon  of 
broken  English  and  broken  Spanish,  such  as  no  man  accus 
tomed  to  either  language  from  infancy  would  have  used. 
The  same  was  true  as  to  all  the  rest  I  heard  speak,  with  the 
exception  of  an  old  fellow  in  the  boat,  whom  I  shall  presently 
have  occasion  to  mention,  again. 

The  man  I  took  to  be  my  old  shipmate,  also  seemed  to 
know  me.  I  was  but  a  lad  when  I  quitted  the  Sterling,  it  is 
true ;  but  they  tell  me  I  have  not  altered  a  great  deal  in 
general  appearance.  My  hair  is  still  black  ;  and  then,  when 
1  was  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  it  must  have  been  easy  to 
recognize  me.  So  strongly  was  I  impressed,  at  the  time, 
that  I  saw  an  old  acquaintance,  I  was  about  to  call  him  by 
name,  when,  luckily,  it  crossed  my  mind  this  might  be  dan 
gerous.  The  pirates  wished  clearly  to  be  unknown,  and  it 
was  wisest  to  let  them  think  they  were  so.  My  supposed 
shipmate,  however,  proved  my  friend,  and  I  received  no 
more  personal  ill  treatment  after  he  had  spoken  to  his  com 
panion.  I  sometimes  think  he  was  the  means,  indeed,  of 
saving  all  our  lives.  He  asked  me  if  there  was  any  money, 
and,  on  my  denying  it,  he  told  me  they  knew  better :  the 
schooner  was  in  ballast,  and  must  have  got  something  for 
her  outward  cargo.  I  refused  to  tell,  and  he  ordered  me 
into  their  boat,  whither  the  captain  had  been  sent  before  me. 
In  doing  all  this,  his  manner  wore  an  appearance,  to  me.  of 
assumed  severity. 

The  poor  old  Frenchman  fared  worse.  They  seemed  to 
know  he  was  owner,  and  probably  thought  he  could  give 
the  best  account  of  the  money.  At  any  rate,  he  was  un 
mercifully  flogged,  though  he  held  out  to  the  last,  refusing 
to  betray  his  doubloons.  The  boy  was  next  attacked  with 
threats  of  throwing  him  overboard.  This  extracted  the  se 
cret,  and  the  doubloons  were  soon  discovered. 

The  captain  and  myself  had  been  stowed  under  a  half- 
deck,  in  the  boat,  but  as  soon  as  the  money  was  found,  the 
old  Spaniard,  who  stood  sentinel  over  us,  was  told  to  let  us 
out,  that  we  might  see  the  fun.  There  were  the  eight  scoun 


A     LIFE      BEFORE     THE     MAST.  153 

drels,  paraded  around  the  trunk  of  the  schooner,  dividing 
the  doubloons.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  we  were  told  to 
come  alongside  with  our  boat,  which  had  been  used  to  carry 
us  to  the  piratical  craft.  The  captain  got  on  board  the  Sally 
and  I  was  ordered  to  scull  the  rogues,  in  one  gang,  back  to 
their  own  craft.  The  scamps  were  in  high  spirits,  seeming 
much  pleased  with  their  haul.  They  cracked  a  good  many 
jokes  at  our  expense,  but  were  so  well  satisfied  with  their 
gold,  that  they  left  the  square-sail  behind  them.  They  had 
robbed  the  cabin,  however,  carrying  off,  for  me,  a  quadrant, 
a  watch,  and  a  large  portion  of  my  clothes.  The  forecas 
tle  had  not  been  entered,  though  the  men  had  four  hundred 
dollars  lying  under  a  pile  of  dirt  and  old  junk,  to  keep  them 
out  of  sight. 

My  supposed  ship-mate  bore  me  in  mind  to  the  last.  When 
we  reached  his  craft,  he  poured  out  a  glass  of  brandy  and 
offered  it  to  me.  I  was  afraid  to  drink,  thinking  it  might 
be  poisoned.  He  seemed  to  understand  me,  and  swallowed 
it  himself,  in  a  sign:ficant  manner.  This  gave  me  courage, 
and  I  took  the  next  nip  without  hesitation.  He  then  told 
me  to  shove  off,  which  I  did  without  waiting  for  a  second 
order.  The  pirates  pulled  away  at  the  same  time. 

We  were  a  melancholy  party,  as  soon  as  we  found  ourselves 
left  to  ourselves.  The  old  Frenchman  was  sad  enough,  and 
all  of  us  pitied  him.  He  made  no  complaint  of  the  boy, 
notwithstanding,  and  little  was  said  among  us  about  the  rob 
bery.  My  wound  proved  trifling,  though  the  old  man  was 
so  bruised  and  beaten  that  he  could  scarcely  walk. 

As  soon  as  a  breeze  came,  we  went  into  Charleston,  hav 
ing  no  means  to  buy  the  cargo  we  had  intended  to  get  at 
Matanzas.  This  was  the  first  time  I  was  ever  actually 
boarded  by  a  pirate,  although  I  had  had  several  narrow 
escapes  before.  The  first  was  in  the  Sterling,  off  the  coast 
of  Portugal ;  the  next  was  in  the  William  and  Jane,  out 
ward  bound  to  Canton ;  the  third  was  on  the  bank,  in  the 
Trio,  off  the  coast  of  Java ;  and  the  fourth,  in  the  Mechanic, 
on  the  other  side  of  Cuba.  It  was  not  the  last  of  my  affairs 
with  them,  however,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel. 

I  went  out  in  the  Sally  again,  making  a  voyage  to  Ma 
tanzas  and  back,  without  any  accident,  or  incident,  worth 
mentioning.  I  still  intended  to  remain  in  this  schooner,  the 


154  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

captain  and  I  agreeing  perfectly  well,  had  I  not  been  driven 
out  of  her  by  one  of  those  unlucky  accidents,  of  which  so 
many  have  laid  me  athwart-hawse. 

We  were  discharging  sugar  at  Charleston,  in  very  heavy 
casks.  The  tide  being  in,  the  vessel's  rail  was  higher  than 
the  wharf,  and  we  landed  the  casks  on  the  rail,  from  which 
they  were  rolled  down  some  planks  to  the  shore.  Two  ne 
groes  were  stationed  on  the  wharf  to  receive  the  casks,  and 
to  ease  them  down.  One  of  these  fellows  was  in  the  prac 
tice  of  running  up  the  planks,  instead  of  standing  at  their 
side  and  holding  on  to  the  end  of  the  hogsheads.  I  remon 
strated  with  him  several  times  about  the  danger  he  ran,  but 
he  paid  no  attention  to  what  I  said.  At  length  my  words 
came  true;  a  cask  got  away  from  the  men,  and  rolled  di 
rectly  over  this  negro,  flattening  him  like  a  bit  of  dough. 

This  was  clearly  an  accident,  and  no  one  thought  of  ac 
cusing  me  of  anv  connection  with  it.  But  the  owner  of  the 
black  looked  upon  him  as  one  would  look  upon  a  hack-horse 
that  had  been  lamed,  or  killed ;  and  he  came  down  to  the 
schooner,  on  hearing  that  his  man  was  done  for,  swearing 
I  should  pay  for  him !  As  for  paying  the  price  of  an  ath 
letic  *'  nigger,"  it  was  even  more  impossible  for  me,  than  it 
would  seem  it  is  for  the  great  State  of  Pennsylvania  to  pay 
the  interest  on  its  debt ;  and,  disliking  a  lawsuit,  I  carried 
my  dunnage  on  board  another  vessel  that  same  afternoon, 
and  agreed  to  work  my  passage  to  New  York,  as  her  second- 
mate. 

The  vessel  I  now  went  on  board  of  was  the  Commodore 
Rodgers,  a  regular  liner  between  the  two  ports.  We  sailed 
next  morning,  and  I  paid  for  the  poor  "  nigger"  with  the 
fore-topsail.  The  ship's  husband  was  on  board  as  we  hauled 
out,  a  man  who  was  much  in  the  habit  of  abusing  the  mates. 
On  this  occasion  he  was  particularly  abusive  to  our  chief 
mate ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  I  remonstrated  with  the  lat 
ter  on  his  forbearance.  Nothing  came  of  it,  however,  though 
I  could  not  forget  the  character  of  the  man  who  had  used 
such  language.  When  we  reached  New  York,  our  chief 
mate  left  us,  and  I  was  offered  the  berth.  It  was  a  little 
hazardous  to  go  back  to  Charleston,  but  wages  were  low, 
and  business  dull,  the  yellow  fever  J>eing  in  New  York  ,  and 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  155 

I  thought,  by  a  little  management,  I  might  give  my  "  nigger 
owner"  a  sufficient  berth.     I  accordingly  agreed  to  go. 

When  we  got  back  to  Charleston,  our  ship  lay  at  her  own 
wharf,  and  I  saw  nothing  of  my  chap.    He  worked  up  town, 
and  we  lay  low  down.     But  another  misfortune  befel  me, 
that  led  even  to  worse  consequences.     The  ship's  husband, 
who  was  so  foul-mouthed,  was  as  busy  as  ever,  blackguard 
ing  right  and  left,  and  finding  fault  with  everything.     Our 
cargo  was  nearly  out,  and  this  man  and  1  had  a  row  about 
some  kegs  of  white  lead.     In  the  course  of  the  dialogue,  he 
called  me  "  a  saucy  son  of  a  b — h."     This  was  too  much 
for  my  temper,  and  I  seized  him  and  sent  him  down  the 
hatchway.     The  fall  was  not  great,  and  some  hemp  lay  in 
the  wake  of  the  hatch ;  but  the  chap's  collar-bone  went.    He 
sung  out  like  a  singing-master,  but  I  did  not  stop  to  chime 
in.     Throwing  my  slate  on  deck  in  a  high  passion,  I  left  the 
ship  and  went  ashore.     I  fell  in  with  the  captain  on  the 
wharf,  told  him  my  story,  got  a  promise  from  him  to  send 
me  my  clothes,  and  van:shed.     In  an  hour  or  two,  half  the 
constables  in  Charleston  were  in  chase  of -me.     I  kept  so 
close  they  could  not  find  me,  lying  snug  for  a  couple  of  days. 
This  state  of  things  could  not  last  for  ever.     The  consta 
bles  were  not  half  so  ferocious  as  they  seemed  ;  for  one 
of  them  managed  to  get  me  off,  on  board  a  coaster,  called 
the  Gov.  Russel ;  where  I  engaged,  I  may  say,  as  chief 
mate  and  all  hands.    The  Gov.  Russel  was  a  Buford  trader, 
making  trips  about  fifteen  or  twenty  leagues  long.  This  was 
the  smallest  navigation,  and  the  smallest  craft,  a  gun-boat 
excepted,  with  which  I  ever  had  anything  to  do.     The  crew 
consisted  of  two  negroes,  both  slaves  to  the  owner ;  while 
the  captain  and  myself  were  aft.     Whether  she  would  have 
held  so  many,  or  not,  I  never  knew,  as  the  captain  did  not 
join,  while  I   belonged   to   her.     The  schooner  lay  three 
miles  below  the  town ;  and,  in  so  much,  was  a  good  craft  for 
me ;  as  no  one  would  think  of  following   an  old  Canton 
trader  into  such  a  'long-shore-looking  thing.     We  busied 
ourselves  in  painting  her,  and  in  overhauling  her  rigging , 
while  the  ship's  husband,  and  his  myrmidons,  amused  them 
selves  in  searching  for  me  up  in  town. 

I  had  been  on  board  the  Gov.  Russel  three  days,  when  it 
came  on  to  blow  from  the  southward  and  westward,  in  truo 


156  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

southern  style.  The  gale  came  on  butt-end  foremost ;  and 
was  thought  to  be  as  severe,  as  anything  seen  in  the  port 
for  many  a  year.  Most  of  the  shipping  broke  adrift  from 
the  wharves ;  and  everything  that  was  anchored,  a  man-of- 
war  and  a  revenue-cutter  exoepted,  struck  adrift,  or  dragged. 
As  for  ourselves,  we  were  lying  at  single  anchor  ;  and  soon 
began  to  walk  down  towards  the  bar.  I  let  go  the  spare 
anchor ;  but  she  snapped  her  cables,  as  if  they  had  been 
pack-thread ;  and  away  she  went  to  leeward.  Making  sail 
was  out  of  the  question,  had  any  been  bent,  as  ours  were 
not ;  and  I  had  to  let  her  travel  her  own  road. 

All  this  happened  at  night ;  when  it  was  so  dark,  one 
could  not  see,  between  the  spray,  the  storm  and  the  hour, 
the  length  of  the  craft.  I  knew  we  were  going  towards  the 
ocean  ;  and  my  great  cause  of  apprehension  was  the  bar. 
Looking  for  the  channel,  was  out  of  the  question ;  I  did  not 
know  it,  in  the  first  place  ;  and,  had  I  been  a  branch-pilot, 
I  could  not  find  it  in  the  dark.  I  never  was  more  completely 
adrift,  in  my  life,  ashore  or  afloat.  We  passed  a  most 
anxious  hour,  or  two ;  the  schooner  driving,  broadside-to,  I 
knew  not  whither,  or  to  what  fate.  The  two  blacks  were 
frightened  out  of  their  wits ;  and  were  of  no  assistance  to 
me. 

At  length,  I  felt  the  keel  come  down  upon  the  sands  ;  and 
then  I  knew  we  were  on  the  bar.  This  happened  amid  a 
whirlwind  of  spray  ;  with  nothing  visible  but  the  white  foam 
of  the  waters,  and  the  breakers  around  us.  The  first  blow 
threw  both  masts  out  of  the  steps  ;  ripping  up  the  decks  to  a 
considerable  extent.  The  next  minute  we  were  on  our 
beam-ends ;  the  sea  making  a  clear  breach  over  us.  All  we 
could  do,  was  to  hold  on ;  and  this  we  did  with  difficulty. 
I  and  the  two  blacks  got  on  the  weather-quarter  of  the 
schooner,  where  we  lashed  ourselves  with  the  main-sheet. 
As  this  was  a  stout  rope,  something  must  part,  before  we 
could  be  washed  away.  The  craft  made  but  two  raps  on 
the  bar,  when  she  drifted  clear. 

I  now  knew  we  were  at  sea,  and  were  drifting  directly  off 
the  coast.  As  we  got  into  deep  water,  the  sea  did  not  make 
such  terrible  surges  over  us  ;  though  they  continued  to  break 
over  our  quarter.  The  masts  were  thumping  away  ;  but  for 
this  I  cared  little,  the  hold  being  full  of  watei  already.  Sink 


A    LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  157 

\ve  could  not,  having  a  swept  hold,  and  being  built,  in  a  great 
measure,  of  pine.  The  schooner  floated  with  about  five  feet 
of  her  quarter-deck  above  water.  Her  bows  had  settled  the 
most ;  and  this  gave  us  rather  a  better  chance  aft. 

Fortunately,  we  got  the  worst  of  this  blow  at  the  first  go 
off.  The  wind  began  to  lessen  in  strength  soon  after  we 
passed  the  bar,  and  by  daylight  it  only  blew  a  stiff  breeze. 
No  land  was  in  sight,  though  I  knew,  by  the  colour  of  the 
water,  that  we  could  not  be  a  very  great  distance  from  the 
coast.  We  had  come  out  on  an  ebb-tide,  and  this  had  set 
us  off  the  land,  but  all  that  southern  coast  is  so  low,  that  it 
was  not  to  be  seen  from  the  surface  of  the  ocean  at  any 
great  distance. 

The  day  that  succeeded  was  sad  and  dreary  enough. 
The  weather  was  fine,  the  sun  coming  out  even  hot  upon 
us,  but  the  wind  continued  to  blow  fresh  off  the  land,  and 
we  were  drifting  further  out,  every  instant,  upon  the  bosom 
of  the  ocean.  Our  only  hope  was  in  falling  in  with  some 
coaster,  and  I  began  to  dread  drifting  outside  of  their  track. 
We  were  without  food  or  water,  and  were  partly  seated  on 
the  rail,  and  partly  supported  by  the  main-sheet.  Neither 
of  us  attempted  to  change  his  berth  that  day.  Little  was 
said  between  us,  though  I  occasionally  encouraged  the  ne 
groes  to  hold  on,  as  something  would  yet  pick  us  up.  I  had 
a  feeling  of  security  on  this  head  that  was  unreasonable, 
perhaps  ;  but  a  sanguine  temperament  has  ever  made  me  a 
little  too  indifferent  to  consequences. 

Night  brought  no  change,  unless  it  was  to  diminish  the 
force  of  the  wind.  A  short  time  before  the  sun  set,  one  of 
the  negroes  said  to  me,  "Masser  Ned,  John  gone."  I  was 
forward  of  the  two  blacks,  and  was  not  looking  at  them  at 
the  time ;  I  suppose  I  may  have  been  dozing ;  but,  on  look 
ing  up,  I  found  that  one  of  the  negroes  had,  indeed,  disap 
peared.  How  this  happened  I  cannot  say,  as  he  appeared 
to  be  well  lashed  ;  but  I  suppose  he  worked  himself  free, 
and  being  exhausted,  he  fell  into  the  water,  and  sunk  before 
I  could  get  a  glimpse  of  him.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
done,  however,  and  the  loss  of  this  man  had  a  tendency  to 
make  me  think  our  situation  worse  than  it  had  before  seem 
ed  to  be.  Some  persons,  all  good  Christians  I  should  sup 
pose,  will  feel  some  curiosity  to  know  whether  a  man  in  my 
14 


158  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

situation  had  no  disposition  to  take  a  religious  view  of  his 
case,  and  whether  his  conscience  did  not  apprise  him  of  the 
chances  of  perdition  that  seemed  to  stare  him  in  the  face. 
In  answer  to  this,  I  am  compelled  to  say  that  no  such 
thoughts  came  over  me.  In  all  my  risks  and  emergencies, 
I  am  not  sensible  of  having  given  a  thought  to  my  Maker. 
I  had  a  sense  of  fear,  an  apprehension  of  death,  and  an  in 
stinctive  desire  to  save  my  life,  but  no  consciousness  of  the 
necessity  of  calling  on  any  being  to  save  my  soul.  Not 
withstanding  all  the  lessons  1  had  received  in  childhood,  I 
was  pretty  nearly  in  the  situation  of  one  who  had  never 
heard  the  name  of  the  Saviour  mentioned.  The  extent  of 
my  reflections  on  such  subjects,  was  the  self-delusion  of 
believing  that  I  was  to  save  myself — I  had  done  no  great 
harm,  according  to  the  notions  of  sailors ;  had  not  robbed ; 
had  not  murdered ;  and  had  observed  the  mariner's  code  of 
morals,  so  far  as  I  understood  them ;  and  this  gave  me  a 
sort  of  claim  on  the  mercy  of  God.  In  a  word,  the  future 
condition  of  my  soul  gave  me  no  trouble  whatever. 

I  dare  say  my  two  companions  on  this  little  wreck  had 
the  same  indifference  on  this  subject,  as  I  felt  myself.  I 
heard  no  prayer,  no  appeal  to  God  for  mercy,  nothing  in 
deed  from  any  of  us,  to  show  that  we  thought  at  all  on  the 
subject.  Hunger  gave  me  a  little  trouble,  and  during  the 
second  night  I  would  fall  into  a  doze,  and  wake  myself  up 
by  dreaming  of  eating  meals  that  were  peculiarly  grateful 
to  me.  I  have  had  the  same  thing  happen  on  other  occa 
sions,  when  on  short  allowance  of  food.  Neither  of  the 
blacks  said  anything  on  the  subject  of  animal  suffering,  and 
the  one  that  was  lost,  went  out,  as  it  might  be,  like  a  can 
dle. 

The  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  bright  and 
clear.  The  wind  shifted  about  this  time,  to  a  gentle  breeze 
from  the  southward  and  eastward.  This  was  a  little  en 
couraging,  as  it  was  setting  the  schooner  in-shore  again,  but 
I  could  discover  nothing  in  sight.  There  was  still  a  good 
deal  of  sea  going,  and  we  were  so  low  in  the  water,  that 
our  range  of  sight  was  very  limited. 

It  was  late  in  the  forenoon,  when  the  negro  called  out 
suddenly,  "  Massa  Ned,  dere  a  vessel !"  Almost  at  the 
same  instant,  I  hoard  voices  calling  out ;  and,  looking  round, 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  159 

i  saw  a  small  coasting  schooner,  almost  upon  us.  She  was 
coming  down  before  the  wind,  had  evidently  seen  us  some 
time  before  we  saw  her,  and  now  ranged  up  under  our  lee, 
and  hove-to.  The  schooner  down  boat,  and  took  us  on 
board  without  any  delay.  We  moved  with  difficulty,  and  I 
found  my  limbs  so  stiff  as  to  be  scarcely  manageable.  The 
black  was  in  a  much  worse  state  than  I  was  myself,  and  I 
think  twelve  hours  longer  would  have  destroyed  both  of  us. 
The  schooner  that  picked  us  up  was  manned  entirely  with 
blacks,  and  was  bound  into  Charleston.  At  the  time  she 
fell  in  with  us,  we  must  have  been  twenty  miles  from  the 
bar,  it  taking  us  all  the  afternoon,  with  a  fair  wind,  to  reach 
it.  We  went  below,  and  as  soon  as  I  got  in  the  cabin,  I 
discovered  a  kettle  of  boiled  rice,  on  which  I  pounced  like  a 
hawk.  The  negroes  wished  to  get  it  away  from  me,  think 
ing  I  should  injure  myself;  but  I  would  not  part  with  it. 
The  sweetest  meal  I  ever  had  in  my  life,  was  this  rice,  a 
fair  portion  of  which,  however,  I  gave  to  my  companion. 
We  had  not  fasted  long  enough  materially  to  weaken  our 
stomachs,  and  no  ill  consequences  followed  from  the  indul 
gence.  After  eating  heartily,  we  both  lay  down  on  the  ca 
bin  floor,  and  went  to  sleep.  We  reached  the  wharf  about 
eight  in  the  evening.  Just  within  the  bar,  the  schooner  was 
spoken  by  a  craft  that  was  going  out  in  search  of  the  Gov. 
Russel.  The  blacks  told  her  people  where  the  wreck  was 
to  be  found,  and  the  craft  stood  out  to  sea. 

I  was  strong  enough  to  walk  up  to  my  boarding-house, 
where  I  went  again  into  quarantine.  The  Gov.  Russel  was 
found,  towed  into  port,  was  repaired,  and  went  about  her 
business,  as  usual,  in  the  Buford  trade.  I  never  saw  her  or 
her  captain  again,  however.  I  parted  with  the  negro  that 
was  saved  with  me,  on  the  wharf,  and  never  heard  anything 
about  him  afterwards,  either.  Such  is  the  life  of  a  sailor  ! 
I  was  still  afraid  of  the  constables.  So  much  damage 
had  been  done  to  more  important  shipping,  and  so  many 
lives  lost,  however,  that  little  was  said  of  the  escape  of  the 
Gov.  Russel.  Then  I  was  not  known  in  this  schooner  by 
my  surname.  When  I  threw  the  ship's  husband  down  the 
hold,  I  was  Mr.  Myers  ;  when  wrecked  in  the  coaster,  only 
Ned. 


160  NED    MYERS;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  my  comparative  insignificance,  there 
was  no  real  security  in  remaining  long  in  Charleston,  and 
it  was  my  strong  desire  to  quit  the  place.     As  "  beggars 
cannot  be  choosers,"  1  was  glad  to  get  on  board  the  schooner 
Carpenter,  bound  to  St.  Mary's  and  Philadelphia,  for,  and 
with,  ship-timber,  as  a  foremast  hand.    I  got  on  board  unde 
tected,  and  we  sailed  the  same  day.    Nothing  occurred  until 
after  we  left  St.  Mary's,  when  we  met  with  a  singular  acci 
dent.     A  few  days  out,  it  blowing  heavy  at  the  time,  our 
deck-load  pressed  so  hard  upon  the  beams  as  to  loosen  them, 
and  the  schooner  filled  as  far  as  her  cargo — yellow  pine — 
would  allow.     This  calamity  proceeded   from  the  fact,  that 
the  negroes  who  stowed  the  craft  neglected  to  wedge  up  the 
beams ;  a  precaution  that  should  never  be  forgotten,  with  a 
heavy  weight  on  deck.     No  very  serious  consequences  fol 
lowed,  however,  as  we  managed  to  drive  the  craft  ahead, 
and  finally  got  her  into  Philadelphia,  with  all  her  cargo  on 
board.     We  did  not  lose  a  stick,  which  showed  that  our 
captain  was  game,  and  did  not  like  to  let  go  when  he  had 
once  got  hold.     This  person  was  a  down-easter,  and  was 
well  acquainted  with  the  Johnstons  and  Wiscasset.      He 
tried  hard  to  persuade  me  to  continue  in  the  schooner  as 
mate,  with  a  view  to  carrying  me  back  to  my  old   friends ; 
but  I  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  advice.     To  own  the  truth,  I 
was  afraid  to  go  back  to  Wiscassett.     My  own  desertion 
could  not  well  be  excused,  and  then  I  was  apprehensive  the 
family  might  attribute  to  me  the  desertion  and  death  of 
young  Swett.     He  had  been  my  senior,  it  is  true,  and  was 
as  able  to  influence  me  as  I  was  to  influence  him ;  but  con 
science  is  a  thing  so  sensitive,  that,  when  we  do  wrong,  it  is 
apt  to  throw  the  whole  error  into  our  faces. 

Quitting  the  Carpenter  in  Philadelphia,  therefore,  I  went 
to  live  in  a  respectable  boarding-house,  and  engaged  to  go 
out  in  a  brig  called  the  Margaret,  working  on  board  as  a 
rigger  and  stevedore,  until  she  should  be  ready  to  sail.  My 
berth  was  to  be  that  of  mate.  The  owner  of  this  brig  was 
as  notorious,  in  his  way,  as  the  ship's  husband  in  Charleston, 


A      LIFE    BEFORE      THE     MAST.  161 

I  had  heard  his  character,  and  was  determined,  if  he  at 
tempted  to  ride  me,  as  he  was  said  to  do  many  of  his  mates, 
and  even  captains,  he  should  find  himself  mounted  on  a 
hard-going  animal.  One  day,  things  came  to  a  crisis.  The 
owner  was  on  the  wharf,  with  me,  and  such  a  string  of  abuse 
as  he  launched  out  upon  me,  I  never  before  listened  to.  A 
crowd  collected,  and  my  blood  got  up.  I  seized  the  man, 
and  dropped  him  oft'  the  wharf  into  the  water,  alongside  of 
some  hoop-poles,  that  I  knew  must  prevent  any  accident. 
In  this  last  respect,  I  was  sufficiently  careful,  though  the 
ducking  was  very  thorough.  The  crowd  gave  three  cheers, 
which  I  considered  as  a  proof  I  was  not  so  very  wrong. 
Nothing  was  said  of  any  suit  on  this  occasion;  but  I  walked 
off,  and  went  directly  on  board  a  ship  called  the  Coroman- 
del,  on  which  I  had  had  an  eye,  as  a  lee,  for  several  days. 
In  this  vessel  I  shipped  as  second-mate ;  carrying  with  me 
all  the  better  character  for  the  ducking  given  to  the  notori 
ous  . 

The  Coromandel  was  bound  to  Cadiz,  and  thence  round 
the  Horn.  The  outward  bound  cargo  was  fiour,  but  to  which 
ports  we  were  going  in  South  America,  I  was  ignorant.  Our 
crew  were  all  blacks,  the  officers  excepted.  We  had  a  good 
passage,  until  we  got  off*  Cape  Trafalgar,  when  it  came  on 
to  blow  heavily,  directly  on  end.  We  lay-to  off  the  Cape 
two  days,  and  then  ran  into  Gibraltar,  and  anchored.  Here 
we  lay  about  a  fortnight,  when  there  came  on  a  gale  from 
the  south-west,  which  sent  a  tremendous  sea  in  from  the  At 
lantic.  This  gale  commenced  in  the  afternoon,  and  blew 
very  heavily  all  that  night.  The  force  of  the  wind  increased, 
little  by  little,  until  it  began  to  tell  seriously  among  the  ship 
ping,  of  which  a  great  number  were  lying  in  front  of  the 
Rock.  The  second  day  of  the  gale,  our  ship  was  pitching 
bows  under,  sending  the  water  aft  to  the  taffrail,  while  many 
other  craft  struck  adrift,  or  foundered  at  their  anchors.  The 
Coromandel  had  one  chain  cable,  and  this  was  out.  It  was 
the  only  cable  we  used  for  the  first  twenty-four  hours.  As 
the  gale  increased,  however,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  let 
go  the  sheet-anchor,  which  had  a  hempen  cable  bent  to  it. 
Our  chain,  indeed,  was  said  to  be  the  first  that  was  ever  used 
out  of  Philadelphia,  though  it  had  then  been  in  the  ship  for 
sometime,  and  had  proved  itself  a  faithful  servant  the  voyage 
14* 


162  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

before.  Unfortunately,  most  of  the  chain  was  out  before  we 
let  go  the  sheet-anchor,  and  there  was  no  possibility  of  get 
ting  out  a  scope  of  the  hempen  cable.  Dragging  on  shore, 
where  we  lay,  was  pretty  much  out  of  the  question,  as  the 
bottom  shelved  inward,  and  the  anchor,  to  come  home,  must 
have  gone  up  hill.* 

In  this  manner  the  Coromandel  rode  for  two  nights  and 
two  days,  the  sea  getting  worse  and  worse,  and  the  wind,  it 
anything,  rather  increasing.  We  took  the  weight  of  the 
last  in  squalls,  some  of  which  were  terrific.  By  this  time 
the  bay  was  well  cleared  of  craft,  nearly  everything  having 
sunk,  or  gone  ashore.  An  English  packet  lay  directly  ahead 
of  us,  rather  more  than  a  cable's  length  distant,  and  she  held 
on  like  ourselves.  The  Governor  Brooks,  of  Boston,  lay 
over  nearer  to  Algesiras,  where  the  sea  and  wind  were  a  little 
broken,  and,  of  course,  she  made  better  weather  than  our 
selves. 

About  eight  o'clock,  the  third  night,  I  was  in  the  cabin, 
when  the  men  on  deck  sung  out  that  the  chain  had  gone. 
At  this  time  the  ship  had  been  pitching  her  spritsail-yard 
under  water,  and  it  blew  a  little  hurricane.  We  were  on 
deck  in  a  moment,  all  hands  paying  out  sheet.  We  brought 
the  ship  up  with  this  cable,  but  not  until  she  got  it  nearly  to 
the  better  end.  Unfortunately,  we  had  got  into  shoal  water, 
or  what  became  shoal  water  by  the  depth  of  the  troughs.  It 
was  said,  afterwards,  we  were  in  five  fathoms  water  at  this 
time,  but  for  this  I  will  not  vouch.  It  seems  too  much  water 
for  what  happened.  Our  anchor,  however,  did  actually  lie 
in  sixteen  fathoms. 

We  had  hardly  paid  out  the  cable,  before  the  ship  came 
down  upon  the  bottom,  on  an  even  keel,  apparently,  with  a 
force  that  almost  threw  those  on  deck  off  their  feet.  These 
blows  were  repeated,  from  time  to  time,  at  intervals  of  sev 
eral  minutes,  some  of  the  thumps  being  much  heavier  than 

*  A  friend,  who  was  then  American  Consul  at  Gibraltar,  and  an  old 
navy  officer,  tells  me  Net'  is  mistaken  as  to  the  nature  of  the  anchor 
age.  The  ship  was  a  little  too  far  out  for  the  best  holding  ground. 
The  same  friend  adds  that  the  character  of  this  gale  is  not  at  all  over 
charged,  the  vessels  actually  lost,  including  small  craft  of  every  descrip 
tion,  amounting  to  the  every  way  extraordinary  number  of  just  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five.  —  EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  163 

others.  The  English  packet  must  have  struck  adrift  at  the 
same  time  with  ourselves,  for  she  came  down  upon  us,  let 
ting  go  an  anchor  in  a  way  to  overlay  our  cable.  I  suppose 
the  rocks  and  this  sawing  together,  parted  our  hempen  ca 
ble,  and  away  we  went  towards  the  shore,  broadside-to.  As 
the  ship  drifted  in,  she  continued  to  thump ;  but,  luckily  for 
us,  the  sea  made  no  breaches  over  her.  The  old  Coroman- 
del  was  a  very  strong  ship,  and  she  continued  working  her 
way  in -shore,  until  she  lay  in  a  good  substantial  berth,  with 
out  any  motion.  We  manned  the  pumps,  and  kept  the  ship 
tolerably  free  of  water,  though  she  lay  over  considerably. 
The  English  packet  followed  us  in,  going  ashore  more  to 
wards  the  Spanish  lines.  This  vessel  bilged,  and  lost  some 
of  her  crew.  As  for  ourselves,  we  had  a  comfortable  berth, 
considering  the  manner  in  which  we  had  got  into  it.  No 
apprehension  was  felt  for  our  personal  safety,  and  perfect 
order  was  observed  on  board.  The  men  worked  as  usual, 
nor  was  there  any  extra  liquor  drunk. 

That  night  the  gale  broke,  and  before  morning  it  had 
materially  moderated.  Lighters  were  brought  alongside, 
and  we  began  to  discharge  our  flour  into  them.  The  cargo 
was  all  discharged,  and  all  in  good  order,  so  far  as  the  wa 
ter  was  concerned  ;  though  several  of  the  keelson  bolts  were 
driven  into  the  ground  tier  of  barrels.  I  am  almost  afraid 
to  tell  this  story,  but  I  know  it  to  be  true,  as  I  released  the 
barrels  with  my  own  hands.  As  soon  as  clear,  the  ship  was 
hove  off  into  deep  water,  on  the  top  of  a  high  tide,  and  was 
found  to  leak  so  much  as  to  need  a  shore-gang  at  the  pumps 
to  keep  her  afloat.  She  was  accordingly  sold  for  the  bene 
fit  of  the  underwriters.  She  was  subsequently  docked  and 
sent  to  sea. 

Of  course,  this  broke  up  our  voyage.  The  captain  ad 
vised  me  to  take  a  second-mate's  berth  in  the  Governor 
Brooks,  the  only  American  that  escaped  the  gale,  and  I  did 
so.  This  vessel  was  a  brig,  bound  round  the  Horn,  also, 
and  a  large,  new  craft.  I  know  of  no  other  vessel,  that  lay 
in  front  of  the  Rock  that  rode  out  this  gale ;  and  she  did  it 
with  two  hempen  cables  out,  partly  protected,  however,  by 
a  good  berth.  There  was  a  Swede  that  came  back  next  day 
to  her  anchorage,  which  was  said  to  have  got  back-strapped, 
behind  the  Rock,  by  some  legerdemain,  and  so  escaped 


164  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

also.  I  do  not  know  how  many  lives  were  lost  on  uiis  oc 
casion  ;  but  the  destruction  of  property  must  have  Deen  very 
great. 

Three  weeks  after  the  gale,  the  Governor  Brooks  sailed. 
We  had  a  hard  time  in  doubling  the  Cape,  being  a  fortnight 
knocking  about  between  Falkland  and  the  Main.  We  were 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  days  out,  touching  nowhere,  un 
til  we  anchored  at  Callao.  We  found  flour,  of  which  our 
cargo  was  composed,  at  seven  dollars  a  barrel,  with  seven 
dollars  duty.  The  Franklin  74,  was  lying  here,  with  the 
Aurora  English  frigate,  the  castle  being  at  war  with  the  peo 
ple  inland.  Our  flour  was  landed,  and  what  became  of  it 
is  more  than  I  can  tell. 

We  now  took  in  ballast,  and  ran  down  to  Guayaquil. 
Here  an  affair  occurred  that  might  very  well  have  given  rue 
the  most  serious  cause  of  regret,  all  the  days  of  my  life. 
Our  steward  was  a  Portuguese  negro,  of  the  most  vicious 
and  surly  temper.  Most  of  the  people  and  officers  were 
really  afraid  of  him.  One  evening,  the  captain  and  chief 
mate  being  both  ashore,  I  was  sitting  on  deck,  idle,  and  I 
took  a  fancy  to  a  glass  of  grog.  I  ordered  the  steward, 
accordingly,  to  pour  me  out  one,  and  bring  it  up.  The  man 
pretended  that  the  captain  had  carried  off  the  keys,  and  no 
rum  was  to  be  had.  I  thought  this  a  little  extraordinary ; 
and,  as  one  would  be  very  apt  to  be,  felt  much  hurt  at  the 
circumstance.  I  had  never  been  drunk  in  the  craft,  and 
was  not  a  drunkard  in  one  sense  of  the  term,  at  all ;  sel 
dom  drinking  so  as  to  affect  me,  except  when  on  a  frolic, 
ashore. 

As  I  sat  brooding  over  this  fancied  insult,  however,  I 
smelt  rum ;  and  looking  down  the  sky-light,  saw  this  same 
steward  passing  forward  with  a  pot  filled  with  the  liquor.  I 
was  fairly  blinded  with  passion.  Running  down,  I  met  the 
fellow,  just  as  he  was  coming  out  of  the  cabin,  and  brought 
him  up  all  standing.  The  man  carried  a  knife  along  his 
leg,  a  weapon  that  had  caused  a  good  deal  of  uneasiness  in 
the  brig,  and  he  now  reached  down  to  get  it.  Seeing  there 
was  no  time  to  parley,  I  raised  him  from  the  floor,,  and  threw 
him  down  with  great  force,  his  head  coming  under.  There 
he  lay  like  a  log,  and  all  my  efforts  with  vinegar  and  watef 
had  no  visible  effect. 


A    LIFE    BEFORE    THE    HAST.  165 

I  now  thought  the  man  dead.  He  gave  no  sign  of  life 
that  I  could  detect,  and  fear  of  the  consequences  canne  over 
me.  The  devil  put  it  into  my  head  to  throw  the  body  over 
board,  as  the  most  effectual  means  of  concealing  what  I  had 
done.  The  steward  had  threatened  to  run,  by  swimming, 
more  than  once,  and  I  believe  had  been  detected  in  making 
such  an  attempt ;  and  I  fancied  if  I  could  get  the  body 
through  one  of  the  cabin-windows,  it  would  seem  as  if  he 
had  been  drowned  in  carrying  his  project  into  execution.  I 
tried  all  I  could  first  to  restore  the  steward  to  life ;  but  fail 
ing  of  this,  I  actually  began  to  drag  him  aft,  in  order  to  force 
his  body  out  of  a  cabin-window.  The  transom  was  high, 
and  the  man  very  heavy ;  so  I  was  a  good  while  in  drag 
ging  the  load  up  to  the  necessary  height.  Just  as  I  got  it 
there,  the  fellow  gave  a  groan,  and  I  felt  a  relief  that  I  had 
never  before  experienced.  It  seemed  to  me  like  a  reprieve 
from  the  gallows. 

I  now  took  the  steward  down,  upon  one  of  the  lower  tran 
soms,  where  he  sat  rubbing  his  head  a  few  minutes,  I  watch 
ing  him  closely  the  whole  time.  At  length  he  got  up,  and 
staggered  out  of  the  cabin.  He  went  and  turned  in,  and  I 
saw  no  more  of  him  until  next  day.  As  it  turned  out,  good, 
instead  of  harm,  resulted  from  this  affair ;  the  black  being 
ever  afterwards  greatly  afraid  of  me.  If  I  did  not  break  his 
neck,  I  broke  his  temper ;  and  the  captain  used  to  threaten 
to  set  me  at  him,  whenever  he  behaved  amiss.  I  owned  the 
whole  affair  to  the  captain  and  mate,  both  of  whom  laughed 
heartily  at  what  had  happened,  though  I  rejoiced,  in  my 
inmost  heart,  that  it  was  no  worse. 

The  brig  loaded  with  cocao,  in  bulk,  at  Guayaquil,  and 
sailed  for  Cadiz.  The  passage  was  a  fine  one,  as  we  dou 
bled  the  Horn  at  midsummer.  On  this  occasion  we  beat 
round  the  cape,  under  top-gallant-sails.  The  weather  was 
so  fine,  we  stood  close  in  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  currents, 
after  tacking,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  within  a  league  of  the 
land.  Our  passage  to  Cadiz  lasted  one  hundred  and  forty- 
one,  or  two,  days,  being  nearly  the  same  length  as  that  out 
though  much  smoother. 

The  French  had  just  got  possession  of  Cadiz,  as  we  got 
in,  and  we  found  the  white  flag  flying.  We  lay  here  a 
month,  and  then  went  round  to  the  Rock.  After  passing  a 


166  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

week  at  Gibraltar,  to  take  in  some  dollars,  we  sailed  for 
New  Orleans,  in  ballast.  As  I  had  been  on  twenty-two 
dollars  a  month,  there  was  a  pretty  good  whack  coming  10 
me,  as  soon  as  v/e  reached  an  American  port,  and  I  felt  a 
desire  to  spend  it,  before  I  went  to  sea  again.  They  wished 
me  to  stick  by  the  brig,  which  was  going  the  very  same 
voyage  over ;  but  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  travel 
so  long  a  road,  with  a  pocket  full  of  money.  I  had  passed 
so  many  years  at  sea,  that  a  short  land  cruise  was  getting 
to  be  grateful,  as  a  novelty. 

The  only  craft  I  could  get  on  board  of,  to  come  round 
into  my  own  latitude,  in  order  to  enjoy  myself  in  the  old 
way,  was  an  eastern  schooner,  called  the  James.  On  board 
this  vessel  I  shipped  as  mate,  bound  to  Philadelphia.  She 
was  the  most  meagre  craft,  in  the  way  of  outfit,  I  ever  put 
to  sea  in.  Her  boat  would  not  swim,  and  she  had  not  a 
spare  spar  on  board  her.  In  this  style,  we  went  jogging 
along  north,  until  we  were  met  by  a  north-west  gale,  be 
tween  Bermuda  and  Cape  Hatteras,  which  forced  us  to 
heave-to.  During  this  gale,  I  had  a  proof  of  the  truth  that 
"  where  the  treasure  is,  there  will  the  heart  be  also." 

I  was  standing  leaning  on  the  rail,  and  looking  over  the 
schooner's  quarter,  when  I  saw  what  I  supposed  to  be  a 
plank  come  yp  alongside  !  The  idea  of  sailing  in  a  craft  of 
which  the  bottom  was  literally  dropping  out,  was  not  very 
pleasant,  and  I  thought  all  was  lost.  I  cannot  explain  the 
folly  of  my  conduct,  except  by  supposing  that  my  many 
escapes  at  sea,  had  brought  me  to  imagine  I  was  to  be 
saved,  myself,  let  what  would  happen  to  all  the  rest  on 
board.  Without  stopping  to  reflect,  I  ran  below  and  se 
cured  my  dollars.  Tearing  up  a  blanket,  I  made  a  belt, 
and  lashed  about  twenty-five  pounds  weight  of  silver  to  my 
body,  with  the  prospect  before  jne  of  swimming  two  or 
three  hundred  miles  with  it,  before  I  could  get  ashore.  As 
for  boat,  or  spars,  the  former  would  not  float,  and  of  the 
last  there  was  not  one.  I  now  look  back  on  my  acts  of  this 
day  with  wonder,  for  I  had  forgotten  all  my  habitual  know 
ledge  of  vessels,  in  the  desire  to  save  the  paltry  dollars. 
For  the  first  and  only  time  in  my  life  I  felt  avaricious,  and 
lost  sight  of  everything  in  money  ! 

It  was  my  duty  to  sound  the  pumps,  but  this  I  did  not 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  167 

deem  necessary.  No  sooner  were  the  dollars  secure,  or, 
rather,  ready  to  anchor  me  in  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  than 
I  remembered  the  captain.  He  was  asleep,  and  waking 
him  up,  I  told  him  what  had  happened.  The  old  man,  a 
dry,  drawling,  cool,  downeaster,  laughed  in  my  face  for  my 
pains,  telling  me  I  had  seen  one  of  the  sheeting-boards,  with 
which  he  had  had  the  bottom  of  the  schooner  covered,  to 
protect  it  from  the  worms,  at  Campeachy,  and  that  I  need 
be  under  no  concern  about  the  schooner's  bottom.  This 
was  the  simple  truth,  and  I  cast  off  the  dollars,  again,  with 
a  sneaking  consciousness  of  not  having  done  my  duty.  I 
suppose  all  men  have  moments  when  they  are  not  exactly 
themselves,  in  which  they  act  very  differently  from  what  it 
has  been  their  practice  to  act.  On  this  occasion,  I  was  not 
alarmed  for  myself,  but  I  thought  the  course  I  took  was  ne 
cessary  to  save  that  dross  which  lures  so  many  to  perdi 
tion.  Avarice  blinded  me  to  the  secrets  of  my  own  trade. 

I  had  come  all  the  way  from  New  Orleans  to  Philadel 
phia,  to  spend  my  four  hundred  dollars  to  my  satisfaction. 
For  two  months  I  lived  respectably,  and  actually  began  to 
go  to  church.  I  did  not  live  in  a  boarding-house,  but  in  a 
private  family.  My  landlady  was  a  pious  woman,  and  a 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  but  her  husband 
was  a  Universalist.  I  must  say,  I  liked  the  doctrine  of  the 
last  the  best,  as  it  made  smooth  water  for  the  whole  cruise. 
I  usually  went  with  the  man  to  church  of  a  morning,  which 
was  falling  among  shoals,  as  a  poor  fellow  was  striving  to 
get  into  port.  I  received  a  great  deal  of  good  advice  from 
my  landlady,  however,  and  it  made  so  much  impression  on 
me  as  to  influence  my  conduct;  though  I  cannot  say  it  really 
touched  my  heart.  I  became  more  considerate,  and  better 
mannered,  if  I  were  not  truly  repentant  for  my  sins.  These 
two  months  were  passed  more  rationally  than  any  time  of 
mine  on  shore,  since  the  hour  when  I  ran  from  the  Sterling. 

The  James  was  still  lying  in  Philadelphia,  undergoing 
repairs,  and  waiting  for  freight ;  but  being  now  ready  for 
sea,  I  shipped  in  her  again,  on  a  voyage  to  St.  Thomas, 
with  a  cargo  of  flour.  When  we  sailed,  I  left  near  a  hun 
dred  dollars  behind  me,  besides  carrying  some  money  to  sea 
the  good  effects  of  good  company.  At  St.  Thomas  we 
discharged,  and  took  in  ballast  for  Turk's  Island,  where  we 


168  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

got  a  cargo  of  salt,  returning  with  it  to  Philadelphia.  My 
conduct  had  been  such  on  board  this  schooner,  that  her 
commander,  who  was  her  owner,  and  very  old,  having  de 
termined  to  knock  off  going  to  sea,  tried  to  persuade  me  to 
stick  by  the  craft,  promising  to  make  me  her  captain  as  soon 
as  he  could  carry  her  down  east,  where  she  belonged.  I 
now  think  I  made  a  great  mistake  in  not  accepting  this  offer, 
though  I  was  honestly  diffident  about  my  knowledge  of  navi 
gation.  I  never  had  a  clear  understanding  of  the  lunars, 
though  I  worked  hard  to  master  them.  It  is  true,  chrono 
meters  were  coming  into  general  use,  in  large  vessels,  and  I 
could  work  the  time ;  but  a  chronometer  was  a  thing  never 
heard  of  on  board  the  James.  Attachment  to  the  larger 
towns,  and  a  dislike  for  little  voyages,  had  as  much  influence 
on  me  as  anything  else.  I  declined  the  offer;  the  only 
direct  one  ever  made  me  to  command  any  sort  of  craft,  and 
remained  what  I  am.  I  had  a  little  contempt,  too,  for  ves 
sels  of  such  a  rig  and  outfit,  which  probably  had  its  influence. 
I  liked  rich  owners. 

On  my  return  to  Philadelphia,  I  found  the  family  in  which 
I  had  last  lived  much  deranged  by  illness.  I  got  my  money, 
but  was  obliged  to  look  for  new  lodgings.  The  respectable 
people  with  whom  I  had  been  before,  did  not  keep  lodgers,  I 
being  their  only  boarder ;  but  I  now  went  to  a  regular  sail 
or's  boarding-house.  There  was  a  little  aristocracy,  it  is 
true,  in  my  new  lodgings,  to  which  none  but  mates,  dickies, 
and  thorough  salts  came ;  but  this  was  getting  into  the  hur 
ricane  latitudes  as  to  morals.  I  returned  to  all  my  old 
habits,  throwing  the  dollars  right  and  left,  and  forgetting  all 
about  even  a  Universalist  church. 

A  month  cleaned  me  out,  in  such  company.  I  spent 
every  cent  I  had,  with  the  exception  of  about  fifteen  dollars, 
that  I  had  laid  by  as  nest-eggs.  I  then  shipped  as  second- 
mate,  in  the  Rebecca  Simms,  a  ship  bound  to  St.  Jago  de 
Cuba,  with  flour.  The  voyage  lasted  four  months ;  pro 
ducing  nothing  of  moment,  but  a  little  affair  that  was  per 
sonal  to  myself,  and  which  cost  me  nearly  all  my  wages. 
The  steward  was  a  saucy  black ;  and,  on  one  occasion,  in 
bad  weather,  he  neglected  to  give  me  anything  warm  for 
breakfast.  I  took  an  opportunity  to  give  him  a  taste  of  the 
end  of  the  main-clew-garnet,  as  an  admonisher ;  and  there 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  169 

tho  matter  ended,  so  long  as  I  remained  in  the  ship.  It 
seemed  quite  right,  to  all  on  board,  but  the  steward.  He 
bore  the  matter  in  mind,  and  set  a  whole  pack  of  quakers  OQ 
me,  as  soon  as  we  got  in.  ,  The  suit  was  tried ;  and  it  cost 
me  sixty  dollars,  in  damages,  beside  legal  charges.  I  dare 
say  it  was  all  right,  according  to  law  and  evidence ;  but  I 
feel  certain,  just  such  a  rubbing  down,  once  a  week,  would 
have  been  very  useful  to  that  same  steward.  Well-meaning 
men  often  do  quite  as  much  harm,  in  this  world,  as  the  evil- 
disposed.  Philanthropists  of  this  school  should  not  forget, 
that,  if  colour  is  no  sufficient  reason  why  a  man  should  be 
always  wrong,  it  is  no  sufficient  reason  why  he  should  be 
always  right. 

The  lawsuit  drove  me  to  sea,  again,  in  a  very  short  time. 
Finding  no  better  berth,  and  feeling  very  savage  at  the 
blindness  of  justice,  I  shipped  before  the  mast,  in  the  Supe 
rior,  an  Indiaman,  of  quite  eight  hundred  tons,  bound  to 
Canton.  This  was  the  pleasantest  voyage  I  ever  made  to 
sea,  in  a  merchantman,  so  far  as  the  weather,  and,  I  may 
say,  usage,  were  concerned.  We  lost  our  top-gallant-masts, 
homeward  bound  ,•  but  this  was  the  only  accident  that  oc 
curred.  The  ship  was  gone  nine  months  ;  the  passage  from 
Whampao  to  the  capes  having  been  made  in  ninety-four 
days.  When  we  got  in,  the  owne/rs  had  failed,  and  there 
was  no  money  forthcoming,  at  the  moment.  To  remain, 
and  libel  the  ship,  was  dull  business  ;  so,  leaving  a  power  of 
attorney  behind  me,  I  went  on  board  a  schooner,  called  the 
Sophia,  bound  to  Vera  Cruz,  as  foremast  Jack. 

The  Sophia  was  a  clipper ;  and  made  the  run  out  in  a  few 
days.  We  went  into  Vera  Cruz ;  but  found  it  nearly  de 
serted.  Our  cargo  went  ashore  a  little  irregularly  ;  some 
times  by  day,  and  sometimes  by  night ;  being  assorted,  and 
suited  to  all  classes  of  customers.  As  soon  as  ready,  we 
sailed  for  Philadelphia,  again ;  where  we  arrived,  after  an 
absence  of  only  two  months. 

.  I  now  got  my  wages  for  the  Canton  voyage ;  but  they 
lasted  me  only  a  fortnight !  It  was  necessary  to  go  to  sea, 
again  ;  and  I  went  on  board  the  Caledonia ;  once  more 
bound  to  Canton.  This  voyage  lasted  eleven  months ;  but, 
like  most  China  voyages,  produced  no  event  of  importance. 
We  lost  our  top-gallant-masts,  this  time,  too ;  but  that  is 
15 


170  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

nothing  unusual,  off  Good  Hope.  I  can  say  but  little,  in 
favour  of  the  ship,  or  the  treatment. 

On  getting  back  to  Philadelphia,  the  money  went  in  the 
old  way.  I  occasionally  walked  round  to  see  my  good  re 
ligious  friends,  with  whom  I  had  once  lived,  but  they  ceased 
to  have  any  great  influence  over  my  conduct.  As  soon  as 
necessary,  I  shipped  in  the  Delaware,  a  vessel  bound  to  Sa 
vannah  and  Liverpool.  Southern  fashion,  I  ran  from  this 
vessel  in  Savannah,  owing  her  nothing,  however,  but  was 
obliged  to  leave  my  protection  behind,  as  it  was  in  the  cap 
tain's  hands.  I  cannot  give  any  reason  but  caprice  for 
quitting  this  ship.  The  usage  was  excellent,  and  the  wages 
high  ;  yet  run  I  did.  As  long  as  the  Delaware  remained  in 
port,  I  kept  stowed  away ;  but,  as  soon  as  she  sailed,  I 
came  out  into  the  world,  and  walked  about  the  wharves  as 
big  as  an  owner. 

I  now  went  on  board  a  ship  called  the  Tobacco  Plant, 
bound  to  Liverpool  and  Philadelphia,  for  two  dollars  a  month 
less  wages,  worse  treatment,  and  no  grog.  So  much  foi 
following  the  fashion.  The  voyage  produced  nothing  to  be 
mentioned. 

On  my  return  to  Philadelphia,  I  resolved  to  shift  my 
ground,  and  try  a  new  tack.  I  was  now  thirty-four,  and 
began  to  give  up  all  thoughts  of  getting  a  lift  in  my  profes 
sion.  I  had  got  so  many  stern-boards  on  me,  every  time  I 
was  going  ahead,  and  was  so  completely  alone  in  the  world, 
that  I  had  become  indifferent,  and  had  made  up  my  mind  to 
take  things  as  they  offered.  As  for  money,  my  rule  had 
come  to  be,  to  spend  it  as  I  got  it,  and  go  to  sea  for  more. 
"If I  tumbled  overboard,"  I  said  to  myself,  "there  is  none 
to  cry  over  me ;"  therefore  let  things  jog  on  their  own 
course.  All  the  disposition  to  morality  that  had  been 
aroused  within  me,  at  Philadelphia,  was  completely  gone, 
and  I  thought  as  little  of  church  and  of  religion,  as  ever. 
It  is  true  I  had  bought  a  Bible  on  board  the  Superior,  and 
I  was  in  the  practice  of  reading  in  it,  from  time  to  time, 
though  it  was  only  the  narratives,  such  as  those  of  Sampson 
and  Goliah,  that  formed  any  interest  for  me.  The  history 
of  Jonah  and  the  whale,  I  read  at  least  twenty  times.  I 
cannot  remember  that  the  morality,  or  thought,  or  devotion 
of  a  single  passage  ever  struck  me  on  these  occasions.  In  a 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  171 

word,  I  read  this  sacred  book  for  amusement,  and  not  for 
light. 

I  now  wanted  change,  and  began  to  think  of  going  back 
to  the  navy,  by  way  of  novelty.  I  had  been  round  the 
world  once,  had  been  to  Canton  five  times,  doubling  the 
Cape,  round  the  Horn  twice,  to  Batavia  once,  the  West- 
Indies,  on  the  Spanish  main,  and  had  crossed  the  Atlantic 
so  often,  that  I  thought  I  knew  all  the  mile-stones.  I  had 
seen  but  little  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  fancied  a  man-of- 
war's  cruise  would  show  me  those  seas.  Most  of  the  Tobacco 
Plants  had  shipped  in  Philadelphia,  and  I  determined  to  go 
with  them,  to  go  in  the  navy.  There  is  a  fashion  in  all 
things,  and  just  then  it  was  the  fashion  to  enter  in  the  service. 

I  was  shipped  by  Lieutenant  M'Kean,  now  Commander 
M'Kean,  a  grandson  of  the  old  Governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
as  they  tell  me.  All  hands  of  us  were  sent  on  board  the 
Cyane,  an  English  prize  twenty-gun  ship,  where  we  remain 
ed  about  six  weeks.  A  draft  was  then  made,  and  more 
than  a  hundred  of  us  were  sent  round  to  Norfolk,  in  a  sloop, 
to  join  the  Delaware,  80,  then  fitting  out  for  the  Mediterra 
nean.  We  found  the  ship  lying  alongside  the  Navy-yard 
wharf,  and  after  passing  one  night  in  the  receiving-ship, 
were  sent  on  board  the  two-decker.  The  Delaware  soon 
hauled  out,  and  was  turned  over  to  Captain  Downes,  the 
very  officer  who  had  almost  persuaded  me  to  go  in  that  ill- 
fated  brig,  the  Epervier. 

I  was  stationed  on  the  Delaware's  forecastle,  and  was 
soon  ordered  to  do  second  captain's  duty.  We  had  for 
lieutenants  on  board,  Mr.  Ramage,  first,  Messrs.  William 
son,  Ten  Eick,  Shubrick,  Byrne,  Chauncey,  Harris,  and 
several  whose  names  I  have  forgotten.  Mr.  Ramage  has 
since  been  cashiered,  I  understand ;  and  Messrs.  Ten  Eick, 
Shubrick,  Chauncey,  Harris,  and  Byrne,  are  now  all  com 
manders. 

The  ship  sailed  in  the  winter  of  1828,  in  the  month  of 
January  I  think,  having  on  board  the  Prince  of  Musignano, 
and  his  family,  who  were  going  to  Italy.  This  gentleman 
was  Charles  Bonaparte,  eldest  son  of  Lucien,  Prince  of 
Canino,  they  tell  me,  and  is  now  Prince  of  Canino  himself. 
He  had  been  living  some  time  in  America,  and  got  a  pas 
sage  in  our  ship,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  o**  travelling  in 


172  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

Europe,  for  one  of  his  name  and  family.     He  was  the 
and  only  Prince  I  ever  had  for  a  shipmate. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

OCR  passage  out  in  the  Delaware  was  very  rough,  the 
ship  rolling  heavily.  It  was  the  first  time  she  had  been  at 
sea,  and  it  required  some  little  time  to  get  her  trim  and  sail- 
ing.  She  turned  out,  however,  to  be  a  good  vessel ;  sailing 
fairly,  steering  well,  and  proving  an  excellent  sea-boat.  We 
went  into  Algesiras,  where  we  lay  only  twenty-four  hours, 
We  then  sailed  for  Mahon,  but  were  met  by  orders  off  the 
port,  to  proceed  to  Leghorn  and  land  our  passengers,  I 
have  been  told  this  was  done  on  account  of  the  Princess  of 
Musignano's  being  a  daughter  of  the  ex-King  of  Spain,  and 
it  was  not  thought  delicate  to  bring  her  within  the  territory 
of  the  reigning  king.  I  have  even  heard  that  the  commo 
dore  was  offered  an  order  of  knighthood  for  the  delicacy  ho 
manifested  on  this  occasion,  which  offer  he  declined  accept 
ing,  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  ship  had  a  good  run  from  off  Mahon  to  Leghorn 
where  we  anchored  in  the  outer  roads.  We  landed  the  pas 
sengers  the  afternoon  of  the  day  we  arrived.  That  very 
night  it  came  on  to  blow  heavily  from  the  northward  and 
eastward,  or  a  little  off  shore,  according  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection.  This  was  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  preparations 
made  to  send  down  lower  yards,  and  to  house  top-masts — 
merchantmen  not  being  strong-handed  enough  to  cut  such 
capers  with  their  sticks.  We  had  three  anchors  ahead,  if 
not  four,  the  ship  labouring  a  good  deal.  We  lost  one  man 
from  the  starboard  forechains,  by  his  getting  caught  in  the 
buoy-rope,  as  we  let  go  a  sheet-anchor.  The  poor  fellow 
could  not  be  picked  up,  on  account  of  the  sea  and  the  dark, 
ness  of  the  night,  though  an  attempt  was  made  to  save  him. 

The  next  day  the  weather  moderated  a  little,  and  we  got 
under  way  for  Mahon.  Our  passage  down  was  pleasant, 
and  this  time  we  went  in.  Captain  Downes  now  left  us,  and 


A     LIFE     BEFORE  -THE     MAST.  173 

Commodore  Crane  hoisted  his  broad-pennant  on  board  us. 
The  ship  now  lay  a  long  time  in  port.  The  commodore 
went  aloft  in  one  of  the  sloops,  and  was  absent  several 
months.  1  was  told  he  was  employed  in  making  a  treaty 
with  the  Turks,  but  us  poor  Jacks  knew  little  of  such  mat 
ters.  On  his  return,  there  was  a  regular  blow-up  with  the 
first-lieutenant,  who  left  the  ship,  to  nobody's  regret,  so  far 
as  I  know.  Mr.  Mix,  who  had  led  our  party  to  the  lakes  in 
1812,  and  was  with  us  in  all  my  lake  service,  and  who  was 
Mr.  Osgood's  brother-in-law,  now  joined  us  as  first-lieute 
nant.  I  had  got  to  be  first-captain  of  the  forecastle,  a  berth 
I  held  to  the  end  of  the  cruise. 

The  treatment  on  board  this  ship  was  excellent.  The 
happiest  time  I  ever  spent  at  sea,  was  in  the  Delaware.  Af 
ter  Mr.  Mix  took  Mr.  Ramago's  place,  everybody  seemed 
contented,  and  I  never  knew  a*better  satisfied  ship's  com 
pany.  The  third  year  out,  we  had  a  long  cruise  off  Cape 
de  Gatte,  keeping  the  ship  under  her  canvass  quite  three 
months.  We  took  in  supplies  at  sea,  the  object  being  to 
keep  us  from  getting  rusty.  On  the  fourth  of  July  we  had 
a  regular  holiday.  At  four  in  the  morning,  the  ship  was 
close  in  under  the  north  shore,  and  we  wore  off  the  land. 
Sail  was  then  shortened.  After  this,  we  had  music,  and 
more  saluting  and  grog.  The  day  was  passed  merrily,  and 
I  do  not  remember  a  fight,  or  a  black  eye,  in  the  ship. 

I  volunteered  to  go  one  cruise  in  the  Warren,  under  Mr. 
Byrne.  The  present  Commodore  Kearny  commanded  this 
ship,  and  he  took  us  down  to  the  Rock.  The  reason  of  our 
volunteering  was  this.  The  men-of-war  of  the  Dutch  and 
the  French,  rendezvoused  at  Mahon,  as  well  as  ourselves. 
The  French  and  our  people  had  several  rows  ashore. 
Which  was  right  and  which  wrong,  I  cannot  say,  as  it  was 
the  Java's  men,  and  not  the  Delaware's,  that  were  engaged 
in  them,  on  our  side.  One  of  the  Javas  was  run  through 
the  body,  and  a  French  officer  got  killed.  It  was  said  the 
French  suspected  us  of  a  design  of  sending  away  the  man 
who  killed  their  officer,  and  meant  to  stop  the  Warren,  which 
was  bound  -to  the  Rock  on  duty.  All  I  know  is,  that  two 
French  brigs  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  and 
some  of  us  were  called  on  to  volunteer.  Forty-five  of  us 
did  so,  and  went  on  board  the  sloop. 
15* 


174  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

After  the  Warren  got  under  way,  we  went  to  quarters, 
manning  both  batteries.  In  this  manner  we  stood  down 
between  the  two  French  brigs,  with  top-gallant-sails  furled 
and  the  courses  in  the  brails.  We  passed  directly  between 
the  two  brigs,  keeping  a  broadside  trained  upon  each ;  but 
nothing  was  said,  or  done,  to  us.  We  anchored  first  at  the 
Rock,  but  next  day  crossed  over  to  the  Spanish  coast.  In 
a  short  time  we  returned  to  Mahon,  and  we  volunteers  went 
back  to  the  Delaware.  The  two  brigs  had  gone,  but  there 
was  still  a  considerable  French  force  in  port.  Nothing  came 
of  the  difficulty,  however,  so  far  as  I  could  see  or  hear. 

In  the  season  of  1830,  the  Constellation,  Commodore  Bid- 
die,  came  out,  and  our  ship  and  Commodore  were  relieved. 
We  had  a  run  up  as  far  as  Sicily,  however,  before  this  took 
place,  and  went  off  Tripoli.  There  I  saw  a  wreck,  lying 
across  the  bay,  that  they  told  me  was  the  bones  of  the  Phi 
ladelphia  frigate.  We  were  also  at  Leghorn,  several  weeks, 
che  commodore  going  to  some  baths  in  the  neighbourhood, 
for  his  health. 

Among  other  ports,  the  Delaware  visited  Carthagena, 
Malta,  and  Syracuse.  At  the  latter  place,  the  ship  lay  six 
weeks,  I  should  think.  This  was  the  season  of  our  arrival 
out.  Here  we  underwent  a  course  of  severe  exercise,  that 
brought  the  crew  up  to  a  high  state  of  discipline.  At  four 
in  the  morning,  we  would  turn  out,  and  commence  our  work. 
All  the  manoeuvres  of  unmooring,  making  sail,  reefing,  furl 
ing,  and  packing  on  her  again,  were  gone  through,  until  the 
people  got  so  much  accustomed  to  work  together,  the  great 
secret  of  the  efficiency  of  a  man-of-war,  that  the  officer  of 
the  deck  was  forced  to  sing  out  "  belay !"  before  the  yards 
were  up  by  a  foot,  lest  the  men  should  spring  the  spars. 
When  we  got  through  this  drill,  the  commodore  told  us  we 
would  do,  and  that  he  was  not  ashamed  to  show  us  along 
side  of  anything  that  floated.  I  do  not  pretend  to  give  our 
movements  in  the  order  in  which  they  occurred,  however, 
nor  am  I  quite  certain  what  year  it  was  the  commodore 
went  up  to  Smyrna.  On  reflection,  it  may  have  been  later 
than  I  have  stated. 

Our  cruise  off  Cape  de  Gatte  was  one  of  the  last  things 
we  did ;  and  when  we  came  back  to  Mahon,  we  took  in  sup 
plies  for  America.  We  made  the  southern  passage  homo, 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  175 

and  anchored  in  Hampton  Roads,  in  the  winter  of  1831. 
I  believe  the  whole  crew'of  the  Delaware  was  sorry  when 
the  cruise  was  up.  There  are  always  a  certain  number  of 
'long-shore  chaps  in  a  man-of-war,  who  are  never  satisfied 
with  discipline,  and  the  wholesome  restraints  of  a  ship ;  but 
as  for  us  old  salts,  I  never  heard  one  give  the  Delaware  a 
bad  name.  We  had  heard  an  awful  report  of  the  commo 
dore,  who  was  called  a  "  burster,"  and  expected  sharp  times 
under  him ;  and  his  manner  of  taking  possession  was  of  a 
nature  to  alarm  us.  All  hands  had  been  called  to  receive 
him,  and  the  first  words  he  said  were  "  Call  all  hands  to 
witness  punishment."  A  pin  might  have  been  heard  falling 
among  us,  for  this  sounded  ominous.  It  was  to  clear  the 
brig,  only,  Captain  Downes  having  left  three  men  in  it, 
whom  he  would  not  release  on  quitting  the  vessel.  The 
offences  were  serious,  and  could  not  be  overlooked.  These 
three  chaps  got  it ;  but  there  was  only  one  other  man  brought 
regularly  to  the  gangway  while  I  was  in  the  ship,  and  he 
was  under  the  sentence  of  a  court,  and  belonged  to  the  War 
ren.  As  soon  as  the  brig  was  cleared,  the  commodore  told 
us  we  should  be  treated  as  we  treated  others,  and  then  turned 
away  among  the  officers.  The  next  day  we  found  we  were 
to  live  under  a  just  rule,  and  that  satisfied  us.  One  of  the 
great  causes  of  the  contentment  that  reigned  in  the  ship,  was 
the  method,  and  the  regularity  of  the  hours  observed.  The 
men  knew  on  what  they  could  calculate,  in  ordinary  times, 
and  this  left  them  their  own  masters  within  certain  hours. 
I  repeat,  she  was  the  happiest  ship  I  ever  served  in,  though 
I  have  always  found  good  treatment  in  the  navy. 

I  can  say  conscientiously,  that  were  my  life  to  be  passed 
over  again,  without  the  hope  of  commanding  a  vessel,  it 
should  be  passed  in  the  navy.  The  food  is  better,  the  ser 
vice  is  lighter,  the  treatment  is  better,  if  a  man  behave  him 
self  at  all  well,  he  is  better  cared  for,  has  a  port  under  his 
lee  in  case  of  accidents,  and  gets  good,  steady,  wages,  with 
the  certainty  of  being  paid.  If  his  ship  is  lost,  his  wages 
are  safe ;  and  if  he  gets  hurt,  he  is  pensioned.  Then  he  is 
pretty  certain  of  having  gentlemen  over  him,  and  that  is  a 
great  deal  for  any  man.  He  has  good  quarters  below ;  and 
if  he  serve  in  a  ship  as  large  as  a  frigate,  he  has  a  cover 
over  his  head,  half  the  time,  at  least,  in  bad  weather.  This 


176  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

is  the  honest  opinion  of  one  who  has  served  in  all  sorts  of 
crafts,  liners,  Indiamen,  coasters,  smugglers,  whalers,  and 
transient  ships.  I  have  been  in  a  ship  of  the  line,  two  fri 
gates,  three  sloops  of  war,  and  several  smaller  craft ;  and 
such  is  the  result  of  all  my  experience  in  Uncle  Sam's  navy. 
No  man  can  go  to  sea  and  always  meet  with  fail -weather , 
but  he  will  get  as  little  of  foul  in  one  of  our  vessels  of  war, 
as  in  any  craft  that  floats,  if  a  man  only  behave  himself.  I 
think  the  American  merchantmen  give  better  wages  than 
are  to""  be  found  in  other  services ;  and  I  think  the  American 
men-of-war,  as  a  rule,  give  better  treatment  than  the  Amer 
ican  merchantman.  God  bless  the  flag,  I  say,  and  this,  too, 
without  the  fear  of  being  hanged ! 

The  Delaware  lay  two  or  three  weeks  in  the  Roads  be 
fore  she  went  up  to  the  Yard.  At  the  latter  place  we  began 
to  strip  the  ship.  While  thus  employed,  we  were  told  that 
seventy-five  of  us,  whose  times  were  not  quite  out,  were  to 
be  drafted  for  the  Brandy  wine  44,  then  fitting  out  at  New- 
York,  for  a  short  cruise  in  the  Gulf.  This  was  bad  news, 
for  Jack  likes  a  swing  ashore  after  a  long  service  abroad. 
Go  we  must,  and  did,  however.  We  were  sent  round  to 
New  York  in  a  schooner,  and  found  the  frigate  still  lying  at 
the  Yard.  We  were  hulked  on  board  the  Hudson  until  she 
was  ready  to  receive  us,  when  we  were  sent  to  our  new  ves 
sel.  Captain  Ballard  commanded  the  Brandyvrine,  and 
among  her  lieutenants,  Mr.  M'Kenny  was  the  first.  This 
is  a  fine  ship,  and  she  got  her  name  from  the  battle  in 
which  La  Fayette  was  wounded  in  this  country,  having 
been  first  fitted  out  to  carry  him  to  France,  after  his  last 
visit  to  America.  She  is  a  first-class  frigate,  mounting 
thirty  long  thirty-two's  on  her  gun-deck ;  and  I  conceive  it 
to  be  some  honour  to  a  sailor  to  have  it  in  his  power  to  say 
he  has  been  captain  of  the  forecastle  in  such  a  ship,  for  I 
was  rated  in  this  frigate  the  same  as  I  had  been  rated  in  the 
Delaware ;  with  this  difference,  that,  for  my  service  in  the 
Brandy  wine,  I  received  my  regular  eighteen  dollars  a  month 
as  a  petty  officer ;  whereas,  though  actually  captain  of  the 
Delaware's  forecastle  for  quite  two  years,  and  second-captain 
nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  time  I  was  in  the  ship,  I  never  got 
more  than  seaman's  wages,  or  twelve  dollars  a  month.  I 
do  not  know  how  this  happened,  though  I  supposed  it  to 


A     LIFE      BEFORE     THE     MAST.  177 

have  arisen  from  some  mistake  connected  with  the  ciicum- 
stance  that  I  was  paid  off  for  my  services  in  the  Delaware, 
by  the  purser  of  the  frigate.  This  was  in  consequence  of. 
he  transfer. 

The  Brandy  wine  sailed  in  March  for  the  Gulf.  Our  cruise 
lasted  about  five  months,  during  which  time  we  went  to  Vera 
Cruz,  Pensacola,  and  the  Havana.  We  appeared  to  me  to 
be  a  single  ship,  as  we  were  never  in  squadron,  and  saw  no 
broad-pennant.  No  accident  happened,  the  cruise  being 
altogether  pleasant.  The  ship  returned  to  Norfolk,  and 
twenty-five  of  us,  principally  old  Delawares,  were  dis 
charged,  our  times  being  out.  We  all  of  us  intended  to 
return  to  the  frigate,  after  a  cruise  ashore,  and  we  chartered  a 
schooner  to  carry  us  to  Philadelphia  in  a  body,  determining 
not  to  part  company. 

The  morning  the  schooner  sailed,  I  was  leading  the  whole 
party  along  one  of  the  streets  of  Norfolk,  when  I  saw  some 
thing  white  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  carriage-way.  It 
turned  out  to  be  an  old  messmate,  Jack  Dove,  who  had  been 
discharged  three  days  before,  and  had  left  us  to  go  to  Phila 
delphia,  but  had  been  brought  up  by  King  Grog.  While  we 
were  overhauling  the  poor  fellow,  who  could  not  speak,  his 
landlady  came  out  to  us,  and  told  us  that  he  had  eat  nothing 
for  three  days,  and  did  nothing  but  drink.  She  begged  us 
to  take  care  of  him,  as  he  disregarded  all  she  said.  This 
honest  woman  gave  us  Jack's  wages  to  a  cent,  for  I  knew 
what  they  had  come  to ;  and  we  made  a  collection  of  ten 
dollars  for  her,  calculating  that  Jack  must  have  swallowed 
that  much  in  three  days.  Jack  we  took  with  us,  bag  and 
hammock  ;  but  he  would  eat  nothing  on  the  passage,  calling 
out  constantly  for  drink.  We  gave  him  liquor,  thinking  it 
would  do  him  good ;  but  he  grew  worse,  and,  when  we 
reached  Philadelphia,  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital.  Here,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days,  he  died. 

Never,  in  all  my  folly  and  excesses,  did  I  give  myself  so 
much  up  to  drink,  as  when  I  reached  Philadelphia  this  time. 
I  was  not  quite  as  bad  as  Jack  Dove,  but  I  soon  lost  my 
appetite,  living  principally  on  liquor.  When  we  heard  of 
Jack's  death,  we  proposed  among  ourselves  to  give  him  a 
sailor's  funeral.  We  turned  out,  accordingly,  to  the  number 
?f  a  hundred,  or  more,  in  blue  jackets  and  white  trowsers, 


178  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

and  marched  up  to  the  hospital  in  a  body.  I  was  one  of  the 
leaders  in  this  arrangement,  and  felt  much  interest  in  it,  as 
Jack  had  been  my  messmate ;  but,  the  instant  I  saw  his 
coffin,  a  fit  of  the  "  horrors"  came  over  me,  and  I  actually 
left  the  place,  running  down  street  towards  the  river,  as  if 
pursued  by  devils.  Luckily,  I  stopped  to  rest  on  the  stoop 
of  a  druggist.  The  worthy  man  took  me  in,  gave  me  some 
soda  water,  and  some  good  advice.  When  a  little  strength 
ened,  I  made  my  way  home,  but  gave  up  at  the  door.  Then 
followed  a  severe  indisposition,  which  kept  me  in  bed  for  a 
fortnight,  during  which  I  suffered  the  torments  of  the  damned. 

I  have  had  two  or  three  visits  from  the  "  horrors,"  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  but  nothing  to  equal  this  attack.  I  came 
near  following  Jack  Dove  to  the  grave ;  but  God,  in  His 
mercy,  spared  me  from  such  an  end.  It  is  not  possible  for 
one  who  has  never  experienced  the  effects  of  his  excesses,  in 
this  particular  form,  to  get  any  correct  notions  of  the  suffer 
ings  I  endured.  Among  other  conceits,  I  thought  the  colour 
which  the  tar  usually  leaves  on  seamen's  nails,  was  the  sign 
that  I  had  the  yellow  fever.  This  idea  haunted  me  for  days, 
and  gave  me  great  uneasiness.  In  short,  I  was  like  a  man 
suspended  over  a  yawning  chasm,  expecting,  every  instant, 
TO  fall  and  be  dashed  to  pieces,  and  yet,  who  could  not  die. 

For  some  time  after  my  recovery,  I  could  not  bear  the 
smell  of  liquor ;  but  evil  companions  lured  me  back  to  my 
old  habits.  I  was  soon  in  a  bad  way  again,  and  it  was  only 
owing  to  the  necessity  of  going  to  sea,  that  I  had  not  a 
return  of  the  dreadful  malady.  When  I  shipped  in  the 
Delaware,  I  had  left  my  watch,  quadrant,  and  good  clothes, 
to  the  value  of  near  two  hundred  dollars,  with  my  present 
landlord,  and  he  now  restored  them  all  to  me,  safe  and 
sound.  I  made  considerable-additions  to  the  stock  of  clothes, 
and  when  I  again  went  to  sea,  left  the  whole,  and  rrore,  with 
the  same  landlord. 

Our  plan  of  going  back  to  the  Brandywine  was  altered  by 
circumstances ;  and  a  party  of  us  shipped  in  the  Mononga- 
hela,  a  Liverpool  liner,  out  of  Philadelphia.  The  cabin  of 
this  vessel  was  taken  by  two  gentlemen,  going  to  visit 
Europe,  viz. :  Mr.  Hare  Powell  and  Mr.  Edward  Burd  ;  and 
getting  these  passengers,  with  their  families,  on  board,  the 
ship  sailed.  By  this  time,  I  had  pretty  much  given  up  the 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  179 

hope  of  preferment,  and  did  not  trouble  myself  whether  1 
lived  forward  or  aft.  I  joined  the  Monongahela  as  a  forward 
hand,  therefore,  quite  as  well  satisfied  as  if  her  chief  mate. 
We  left  the  Delaware  in  the  month  of  August,  and,  a 
'short  time  out,  encountered  one  of  the  heaviest  gales  of  wind 
I  ever  witnessed  at  sea.  It  came  on  from  the  eastward,  and 
would  have  driven  us 'ashore,  had  not  the  wind  suddenly 
shifted  to  south-west.  The  ship  was  lying-to,  under  bare 
poles,  pressed  down  upon  the  water  in  such  a  way  that  she 
lay  almost  as  steady  as  if  in  a  river ;  nor  did  the  force  of 
the  wind  allow  the  sea  to  get  up.  A  part  of  the  time,  our 
lee  lower  yard-arms  were  nearly  in  the  water.  We  had 
everything  aloft,  but  sending  them  down  was  quite  out  of 
the  question.  It  was  not  possible,  at  one  time,  for  a  man  to 
go  aloft  at  all.  I  tried  it  myself,  and  could  with  difficulty 
keep  my  feet  on  the  ratlins.  I  make  no  doubt  I  should  have 
been  blown  out  of  the  top,  could  I  have  reached  it,  did  I  let 
go  my  hold  to  do  any  work. 

We  had  sailed  in  company  with  the  Kensington,  a  corvette 
belonging  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  saw  a  ship,  during 
the  gale,  that  was  said  to  be  she.  The  Kensington  was  dis 
masted,  and  had  to  return  to  refit,  but  we  did  not  part  a 
rope-yarn.  When  the  wind  shifted,  we  were  on  soundings ; 
and,  it  still  continuing  to  blow  a  gale,  we  set  the  main-top 
sail  close-reefed,  and  the  fore-sail,  and  shoved  the  vessel  off 
the  land  at  the  rate  of  a  steam-boat.  After  this,  the  wind 
favoured  us,  and  our  passage  out  was  very  short.  We 
stayed  but  a  few  days  in  Liverpool ;  took  in  passengers,  and 
got  back  to  Philadelphia,  after  an  absence  of  a  little  more 
than  two  months.  The  Kensington's  report  of  the  gale,  and 
of  our  situation,  had  caused  much  uneasiness  in  Philadel 
phia,  but  our  two  passages  were  so  short,  that  we  brought 
the  news  of  our  safety. 

I  now  inquired  for  the  Brandywine,  but  found  she  had 
sailed  for  the  Mediterranean.  It  was  my  intention  to  have 
gone  on  board  her,  but  missing  this  ship,  and  a  set  of  offi 
cers  that  I  knew,  I  looked  out  for  a  merchantman.  I  found 
a  brig  called  the  Amelia,  bound  to  Bordeaux,  and  shipped 
in  her  before  the  mast. 

The  Amelia  had  a  bad  passage  out.  It  was  in  the  au 
tumn,  and  the  brig  leaked  badly.  This  kept  us  a  great 


180  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

deal  at  the  pumps,  an  occupation  that  a  sailor  does  any 
thing  but  delight  in.  I  am  of  opinion  that  pumping  a  leaky 
ship  is  the  most  detestable  work  in  the  world.  Nothing  but 
the  dread  of  drowning  ought  to  make  a  man  do  it,  although 
some  men  will  pump  to  save  their  property.  As  for  myself, 
I  am  not  certain  I  would  take  twenty-four  hours  of  hard 
pumping  to  save  any  sum  I  shall  probably  ever  own,  or  evei 
did  own. 

After  a  long  passage,  we  made  the  Cordovan,  but,  the 
wind  blowing  heavy  off  the  land,  we  could  not  get  in  for 
near  a  fortnight.     Not  a  pilot  would  come  out,  and  if  they 
had,  it  would  have  done  us  no  good.     After  a  while,  the 
wind  shifted,  and  we  got  into  the  river,  and  up  to  the  town. 
We  took  in  a  return  cargo  of  brandy,  and  sailed  for  Phila 
delphia.      Our   homeward-bound   passage   was    long   and 
stormy,  but  we  made  the  capes,  at  last.     Here  we  were 
boarded  by  a  pilot,  who  told  us  we  were  too  late ;  the  Dela 
ware  had  frozen  up,  and  we  had  to  keep  away,  with  a 
south-east  wind,  for  New  York.     We  had  a  bad  time  of  it, 
as  soon  as  night  came  on.     The  gale  increased,  blowing 
directly  into  the  bight,  and  we  had  to  haul  up  under  close- 
reefed   topsails  and  reeled  foresail,  to  claw  off  the  land. 
The  weather  was  very  thick,  and  the  night  dark,  and  all 
we  could  do  was  to  get  round,  when  the  land  gave  us  a 
feint  it  was  time.     This  we  generally  did  in  five  fathoms 
water.     We  had  to  ware,  for  the  brig  would  not  tack  under 
such  short  canvass,  and,  of  course,  lost  much  ground  in  so 
doing.     About  three  in  the  morning  we  knew  that  it  was 
nearly  up  with  us.     The  soundings  gave  warning  of  this, 
and  we  got  round,  on  what  I  supposed  would  be  the  Amelia's 
last  leg.     But  Providence  took  care  of  us,  when  we  could 
not  help  ourselves.     The  wind  came  out  at  north-west,  as 
it  might  be  by  word  of  command  ;  the  mist  cleared  up,  and 
we  saw  the  lights,  for  the  first  time,  close  aboard  us.     The 
brig  was  taken  aback,  but  we  got  her  round,  shortened  sail, 
and  hove  her  to,  under  a  closed-reefed  main-topsail.     We 
now  got  it  from  the  north-west,  making  very  bad  weather. 
The  gale  must  have  set  us  a  long  way  to  leeward,  as  we 
did  not  get  in  for  a  fortnight.     We  shipped  a  heavy  sea, 
that  stove  our  boat,  and  almost  swept  the  decks.     We  were 
out  of  pork  and  beef,  and  our  fire- wood  was  nearly  gone. 


A    LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  181 

The  binnacle  was  also  gone.  As  good  luck  would  have  it, 
we  killed  a  porpoise,  soon  after  the  wind  shifted,  and  on 
this  we  lived,  in  a  great  measure,  for  more  than  a  week, 
sometimes  cooking  it,  but  oftener  eating  it  raw.  At  length 
the  wind  shifted,  and  we  got  in. 

I  was  no  sooner  out  of  this  difficulty,  than  a  hasty  temper 
got  me  into  another.  While  still  in  the  stream,  an  Irish 

boatman  called  me  a  "Yankee  son  of  a ,"  and  I  lent 

him  a  clip.  The  fellow  sued  me,  and,  contriving  to  catch 
me  before  I  left  the  vessel,  I  was  sent  to  jail,  for  the  first  and 
only  time  in  my  life.  This  turned  out  to  be  a  new  and  very 
revolting  school  for  me.  I  was  sent  among  as  precious  a 
set  of  rascals  as  New  York  could  furnish.  Their  conversa 
tion  was  very  edifying.  One  would  tell  how  he  cut  the 
hoses  of  the  engines  at  fires,  with  razor-blades  fastened  to 
his  shoes ;  another,  how  many  pocket-books  he  and  his 
associates  had  taken  at  this  or  that  fire ;  and  a  third,  the 
manner  of  breaking  open  stores,  and  the  best  mode  of  dis 
posing  of  stolen  goods.  The  cool,  open,  impudent  manner 
in  which  these  fellows  spoke  of  such  transactions,  fairly 
astounded  me.  They  must  have  thought  I  was  in  jail  for 
some  crime  similar  to  their  own,  or  they  would  not  have 
talked  so  freely  before  a  stranger.  These  chaps  seemed  to 
value  a  man  by  the  enormity  and  number  of  his  crimes. 

At  length  the  captain  and  my  landlord  found  out  where  I 
had  been  sent,  and  I  was  immediately  bailed.  Glad  enough 
was  I  to  get  out  of  prison,  and  still  more  so  to  get  out  of  the 
company  I  found  in  it.  Such  association  is  enough  to  under 
mine  the  morals  of  a  saint,  in  a  week  or  two.  And  yet  these 
fellows  were  well  dressed,  and  well  enough  looking,  and 
might  very  well  pass  for  a  sort  of  gentlemen,  with  those  who 
had  seen  but  little  of  men  of  the  true  quality. 

I  had  got  enough  of  law,  and  wished  to  push  the  matter 
no  farther.  The  Irishman  was  sent  for,  and  I  compromised 
with  him  on  the  spot.  The  whole  affair  cost  me  my  entire 
wages,  and  I  was  bound  over  to  keep  the  peace,  for,  I  do  not 
know  how  long.  This  scrape  compelled  me  to  weigh  my 
anchor  at  a  short  notice,  as  there  is  no  living  in  New  York 
without  money.  I  went  on  board  the  Sully,  therefore — a 
Havre  liner — a  day  or  two  after  getting  out  of  the  atmo 
sphere  of  the  City  Hall.  They  may  talk  of  Batavia,  if  they 
16 


182  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

please  ;  but,  in  my  judgment,  it  is  the  healthiest  place  of  thf 
two. 

Our  passages,  out  and  home,  produced  nothing  worth 
mentioning,  and  I  left  the  ship  in  New  York.  My  wages 
went  in  the  old  way,  and  then  I  shipped  in  a  schooner  called 
the  Susan  and  Mary,  that  was  about  to  sail  for  Buenos  Ayres, 
in  the  expectation  that  she  would  be  sold  there.  The  craft 
was  a  good  one,  though  our  passage  out  was  very  long.  On 
reaching  our  port,  I  took  my  discharge,  under  the  impression 
the  vessel  would  be  sold.  A  notion  now  came  over  me,  that 
I  would  join  the  Buenos  Ayrean  navy,  in  order  to  see  what 
sort  of  a  service  it  was.  I  knew  it  was  a  mixed  American 
and  English  affair,  and,  by  this  time,  I  had  become  very 
reckless  as  to  my  own  fate.  I  wished  to  do  nothing  very 
wrong,  but  was  incapable  of  doing  anything  that  was  very 
right. 

My  windfall  carried  me  on  board  a  schooner,  of  eight  or 
ten  guns,  called  the  Suradaha.  I  did  not  ship,  making  an 
arrangement  by  which  I  was  to  be  left  to  decide  for  myself, 
whether  I  would  remain  in  her,  or  not.  Although  a  pretty 
good  craft,  I  soon  got  enough  of  this  service.  In  one  week 
I  was  thoroughly  disgusted,  and  left  the  schooner.  It  is  well 
I  did,  as  there  was  a  "  revolution"  on  board  of  her,  a  few 
days  later,  and  she  was  carried  up  the  river,  and,  as  I  was 
told,  was  there  sunk.  With  her,  sunk  all  my  laurels  in  that 
service. 

The  Susan  and  Mary  was  not  sold,  but  took  in  hides  for 
New  York.  I  returned  to  her,  therefore,  and  we  sailed  for 
home  in  due  time.  The  passage  proved  long,  but  mild,  and 
we  were  compelled  to  run  in,  off  Point  Petre,  Gaudaloupe, 
where  we  took  in  some  provisions.  After  this,  nothing  oc 
curred  until  we  reached  New  York. 

I  jow  shifted  the  name  of  my  craft,  end  for  end,  joining 
a  half-rigged  brig,  called  the  Mary  and  Susan.  I  gained 
little  by  the  change,  this  vessel  being  just  the  worst-looking 
hooker  I  did  ever  sail  in.  Still  she  was  tight,  strong  enough, 
and  not  a  very  bad  sailing  vessel.  But,  for  some  reason 
or  other,  externals  were  not  regarded,  and  we  made  any 
thing  but  a  holiday  appearance  on  the  water.  I  had  seen 
the  time  when  I  would  disdain  to  go  chief-mate  of  suo-b 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  183 

a  looking  craft;  but  I  now  shipped  in  her  as  a  common 
hand. 

We  sailed  for  Para,  in  Brazil,  a  port  nearly  under  the 
line,  having  gunpowder,  dry-goods,  &c.  Our  passage,  un 
til  we  came  near  the  coast  of  South  America,  was  good,  and 
nothing  occurred  to  mention.  When  under  the  line,  how 
ever,  we  made  a  rakish -looking  schooner,  carrying  two  top 
sails,  one  forenoon.  We  made  no  effort  to  escape,  knowing 
it  to  be  useless.  The  schooner  set  a  Spanish  ensign,  and 
brought  us  to.  We  were  ordered  to  lower  our  boat  and  to 
go  on  board  the  schooner,  which  were  done.  I  happened 
to  be  at  the  helm,  and  remained  in  the  Mary  and  Susan. 
The  strangers  ordered  our  people  out  of  the  boat,  and  sent 
an  armed  party  in  her,  on  board  us.  These  men  rummaged 
about  for  a  short  time,  and  then  were  hailed  from  their  ves  - 
sel  to  know  if  we  promised  well.  Our  looks  deceived  tho 
head  man  of  the  boarders,  who  answered  that  we  were  very 
poor.  On  receiving  this  information,  the  captain  of  the 
schooner  ordered  his  boarding  party  to  quit  us.  Our  boat 
came  back,  but  was  ordered  to  return  and  bring  another 
gang  of  the  strangers.  This  time  we  were  questioned  about 
canvass,  but  got  off  by  concealing  the  truth.  We  had  thirty 
bolts  on  board,  but  produced  only  one.  The  bolt  shown  did 
not  happen  to  suit,  and  the  strangers  again  left  us.  We 
were  told  not  to  make  sail  until  we  received  notice  by  signal, 
and  the  schooner  hauled  her  wind.  After  standing  on  some 
time,  however,  these  gentry  seemed  indisposed  to  quit  us, 
for  they  came  down  again,  and  rounded  to  on  our  weather- 
beam.  We  were  now  questioned  about  our  longitude,  and 
whether  we  had  a  chronometer.  We  gave  the  former,  but 
had  nothing  like  the  latter  on  board.  Telling  us  once  more 
not  to  make  sail  without  the  signal,  the  schooner  left  us, 
standing  on  until  fairly  out  of  sight.  We  waited  until  she 
sunk  her  topsails,  and  then  went  on  our  course. 

None  of  us  doubted  that  this  fellow  was  a  pirate.  The 
men  on  board  us  were  an  ill-looking  set  of  rascals,  of  all 
countries.  They  spoke  Spanish,  but  we  gave  them  credit 
for  being  a  mixture.  Our  escape  was  probably  owing  to 
our  appearance,  which  promised  anything  but  a  rich  booty. 
Our  dry-goods  and  powder  were  concealed  in  casks  under 
the  ballast,  and  I  suppose  the  papers  were  not  particularly 


184  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

minute.  At  any  rate,  when  we  got  into  Para,  most  of  the 
cargo  went  out  of  our  schooner  privately,  being  landed 
from  lighters.  We  had  a  passenger,  who  passed  fcr  some 
revolutionary  man,  who  also  landed  secretly.  This  gen 
tleman  was  in  a  good  deal  of  concern  about  the  pirates, 
keeping  himself  hid  while  they  were  near  us.  / 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

OUR  passage  from  Para  was  good  until  the  brig  reached 
the  latitude  of  Bermuda.  Here,  one  morning,  for  the  first 
time  in  this  craft,  Sundays  excepted,  we  got  a  forenoon 
watch  below.  I  was  profiting  by  the  opportunity  to  do  a  lit 
tle  work  for  myself,  when  the  mate,  an  inexperienced  young 
man,  who  was  connected  with  the  owners,  came  and  ordered 
us  up  to  help  jibe  ship.  It  was  easy  enough  to  do  this  in 
the  watch,  but  he  thought  differently.  As  an  old  seaman, 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  order  was  both  inqonsiderate 
and  unnecessary ;  though  I  do  not  wish  to  appear  even  to 
justify  my  own  conduct,  on  the  occasion.  A  hasty  temper 
is  one  of  my  besetting  weaknesses,  and,  at  that  time,  I  was 
in  no  degree  influenced  by  any  considerations  of  a  moral 
nature,  as  connected  with  language.  Exceedingly  exaspe 
rated  at  this  interference  with  our  comfort,  I  did  not  hesitate 
to  tell  the  mate  my  opinion  of  his  order.  Warming  with 
my  own  complaints,  I  soon  became  fearfully  profane  and 
denunciatory.  I  called  down  curses  on  the  brig,  and  all 
that  belonged  to  her,  not  hesitating  about  wishing  that  she 
might  founder  at  sea,  and  carry  all  hands  of  us  to  the  bot 
tom  of  the  ocean.  In  a  word,  I  indulged  in  all  that  loose 
ness  and  profanity  of  the  tongue,  which  is  common  enough 
with  those  who  feel  no  restraints  on  the  subject,  and  who 
are  highly  exasperated. 

I  do  think  the  extent  to  which  I  carried  my  curses  and 
wishes,  on  this  occasion,  frightened  the  officers.  They  said 
nothing,  but  let  me  curse  myself  out,  to  my  heart's  content. 
A  man  soon  wearies  of  so  bootless  a  task,  and  the  storm 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  185 

passed  off,  like  one  in  the  heavens,  with  a  low  rumbling.  1 
gave  myself  no  concern  about  the  matter  allerwards,  but 
things  took  their  course  until  noon.  While  the  people  were 
at  dinner,  the  mate  came  forward  again,  however,  and  called 
all  hands  to  shorten  sail.  Going  on  deck,  I  saw  a  very 
menacing  black  cloud  astern,  and  went  to  work,  with  a  will, 
to  discharge  a  duty  that  everybody  could  see  was  necessary. 

We  gathered  in  trie  canvass  as  fast  as  we  could ;  but,  be 
fore  we  could  get  through,  and  while  I  was  lending  a  hand 
to  furl  the  foresail,  the  squall  struck  the  brig.  I  call  it  a 
squall,  but  it  was  more  like  the  tail  of  a  hurricane.  Most 
of  our  canvass  blew  from  the  gaskets,  the  cloth  going  in 
ribands.  The  foresail  and  fore-topsail  we  managed  to  save, 
but  all  our  light  canvass  went.  I  was  still  aloft  when  the 
brig  broached-to.  As  she  came  up  to  the  wind,  the  fore- 
topmast  went  over  to  leeward,  being  carried  away  at  the 
cap.  All  the  hamper  came  down,  and  began  to  thresh 
against  the  larboard  side  of  the  lower  rigging.  Just  at  this 
instant,  a  sea  seemed  to  strike  the  brig  under  her  bilge,  and 
fairly  throw  her  on  her  beam-ends. 

All  this  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  work  of  only  a  minute. 
I  had  scrambled  to  windward,  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  the 
wreck,  and  stood  with  one  foot  on  the  upper  side  of  the  bitts, 
holding  on,  to  steady  myself,  by  some  of  the  running  rig. 
ging.  This  was  being  in  a  very  different  attitude,  but  on 
the  precise  spot,  where,  two  or  three  hours  before,  I  had 
called  on  the  Almighty  to  pour  out  his  vials  of  wrath  upon 
the  vessel,  myself,  and  all  she  contained  !  At  that  fearful 
instant,  conscience  pricked  me,  and  I  felt  both  shame  and 
dread,  at  my  recent  language.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  had 
been  heard,  and  that  my  impious  prayers  were  about  to  be 
granted.  In  the  bitterness  of  my  heart,  I  vowed,  should  my 
life  be  spared,  never  to  be  guilty  of  such  gross  profanity, 
again. 

These  feelings,  however,  occupied  me  but  a  moment.  I 
was  too  much  of  a  real  sea-dog  to  be  standing  idle  at  a  time 
like  that.  There  was  but  one  man  before  the  mast  on  whom 
I  could  call  for  anything  in  such  a  strait,  and  that  was  a 
New  Yorker,  of  the  name  of  Jack  Neal.  This  man  was 
near  me,  and  I  suggested  to  him  the  plan  of  getting  the  fore- 
*op-mast  staysail  loose,  notwithstanding  the  mast  was  gone, 
16* 


186  NED    MYERS;   OR 

in  the  hope  it  might  blow  open,  and  help  the  brig's  bows 
round.  Jack  was  a  fellow  to  act,  and  he  succeeded  in  loos 
ening  the  sail,  which  did  blow  out  in  a  way  greatly  to  help 
us,  as  I  think.  I  then  proposed  we  should  clamber  aft,  and 
try  to  get  the  helm  up.  This  we  did,  also ;  though  I  ques 
tion  if  the  rudder  could  have  had  much  power,  in  the  posi 
tion  in  which  the  brig  lay. 

Either  owing  to  the  fore-top-mast  staysail,  or  to  some 
providential  sea,  the  vessel  did  fall  off,  however,  and  pre 
sently  she  righted,  coming  up  with  great  force,  with  a  heavy 
roll  to  windward.  The  staysail  helped  us,  I  feel  persuaded, 
•is  the  stay  had  got  taut  in  the  wreck,  and  the  wind  had 
blown  out  the  hanks.  The  brig's  helm  being  hard  up,  as 
soon  as  she  got  way,  the  craft  flew  round  like  a  top,  coming 
up  on  the  other  tack,  in  spite  of  us,  and  throwing  her  nearly 
over  again.  She  did  not  come  fairly  down,  however,  though 
1  thought  she  was  gone,  for  an  instant. 

Finding  it  possible  to  move,  I  now  ran  forward,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  stopping  the  wreck  into  the  rigging  and  bitts.  At 
this  time  the  brig  minded  her  helm,  and  fell  off,  coming  under 
command.  To  help  us,  the  head  of  the  spencer  got  loose, 
from  the  throat-brail  up,  and,  blowing  out  against  the  wreck, 
the  whole  formed,  together,  a  body  of  hamper,  that  acted  as 
a  sort  of  sail,  which  helped  the  brig  to  keep  clear  of  the 
seas.  By  close  attention  to  the  helm,  we  were  enabled  to 
prevent  the  vessel  from  broaching-to  again,  and,  of  course, 
managed  to  sail  her  on  her  bottom.  About  sunset,  it  mode 
rated,  and,  next  morning,  the  weather  was  fine.  We  then 
went  to  work,  and  rigged  jury-masts ;  reaching  New  York 
a  few  days  later. 

Had  this  accident  occurred  to  our  vessel  in  the  night,  as 
did  that  to  the  Scourge,  our  fate  would  probably  have  been 
decided  in  a  few  minutes.  As  it  was,  half  an  hour,  in  the 
sort  of  sea  that  was  going,  would  have  finished  her.  As  for 
my  repentance,  if  I  can  use  the  term  on  such  an  occasion, 
and  for  such  a  feeling,  it  was  more  lasting  than  thorough* 
I  have  never  been  so  fearfully  profane  since ;  and  often, 
when  I  have  felt  the  disposition  to  give  way  to  passion  in 
this  revolting  form,  my  feelings,  as  I  stood  by  those  bitts, 
have  recurred  to  my  mind — my  vow  has  been  remembered, 
and  I  hope,  together,  they  did  some  good,  until  I  was  made 


A     LIFE      BEFORE     TIIE     MAST. 

lo  see  the  general  errors  of  my  life,  and  the  necessity  of 
throwing  all  my  sins  on  the  merciful  interposition  of  my 
Saviour. 

I  was  not  as  reckless  and  extravagant,  this  time,  in  port, 
as  I  had  usually  been,  of  late  years.  I  shipped,  before  my 
money  was  all  gone,  on  board  the  Henry  Kneeland,  for 
Liverpool,  via  New  Orleans.  On  reaching  the  latter  port, 
all  hands  of  us  were  beset  by  the  land-sharks,  in  the  shape 
of  landlords,  who  told  us  how  much  better  we  should  be  off' 
by  running,  than  by  sticking  by  the  ship.  We  listened  to 
these  tales,  and  went  in  a  body.  What  made  the  matter 
worse,  and  our  conduct  the  less  excusable,  was  the  fact,  that 
we  got  good  wages  and  good  treatment  in.  the  Henry  Knee- 
land.  The  landlords  came  with  two  boats,  in  the  night ;  we 
passed  our  dunnage  down  to  them,  and  away  we  went,  leaving 
only  one  man  on  board.  The  very  next  day  we  all  shipped 
on  board  the  Marian,  United  States'  Revenue  Cutter,  where  I 
was  rated  a  quarter-mate,  at  fifteen  cfellars  a  month  ;  leav 
ing  seventeen  to  obtain  this  preferment ! 

We  got  a  good  craft  for  our  money,  however.  She  was 
a  large  comfortable  schooner,  that  mounted  a  few  light  guns, 
and  our  duty  was  far  from  heavy.  The  treatment  turned 
out  to  be  good,  also,  as  some  relief  to  our  folly.  One  of 
our  Henry  Kneelands  died  of  the  "  horrors"  before  we  got 
to  sea,  and  we  buried  him  at  the  watering-place,  near  the 
lower  bar.  I  must  have  been  about  four  months  in  the 
Marion,  during  which  time  we  visited  the  different  keys,  and 
went  into  Key  West.  At  this  place,  our  crew  became 
sickly,  and  I  was  landed  among  others,  and  sent  to  a  board 
ing-house.  It  was  near  a  month  before  we  could  get  the 
crew  together  again,  when  we  sailed  for  Norfolk.  At  Nor 
folk,  six  of  us  had  relapses,  and  were  sent  to  the  hospital; 
the  cutter  sailing  without  us.  I  never  saw  the  craft  after 
wards. 

t  was  but  a  fortnight  in  the  hospital,  the  disease  being 
only  the  fever  and  ague.  Just  as  I  came  out,  the  Alert,  the 
New  York  cutter,  came  in,  and  I  was  sent  on  board  her. 
This  separated  me  from  all  the  Henry  Kneelands  but  one 
old  man.  The  Alert  was  bound  south,  on  duty  connected 
with  the  nullification  troubles ;  and,  soon  after  I  joined  her, 
she  sailed  for  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Here  a  little 


188  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

fleet  of  cutters  soon  collected ;  no  less  than  seven  of  us 
being  at  anchor  in  the  waters  of  South  Carolina,  to  prevent 
any  breach  of  the  tariff  laws.  When  I  had  been  on  board 
the  Alert  about  a  month,  a  new  cutter  called  the  Jackson, 
came  in  from  New  York,  and  being  the  finest  craft  on  the 
station,  our  officers  and  crew  were  transferred  to  her  in  a 
body  ;  our  captain  being  the  senior  of  all  the  revenue  cap 
tains  present. 

I  must  have  been  at  least  six  months  in  the  waters  of  South 
Carolina,  thus  employed.  We  never  went  to  sea,  but  oc 
casionally  dropped  down  as  far  as  Rebellion  Roads.  We 
were  not  allowed  to  go  ashore,  except  on  rare  occasions,  and 
towards  the  last,  matters  got  to  be  so  serious,  that  we  al 
most  looked  upon  ourselves  as  in  an  enemy's  country. 
Commodore  Elliott  joined  the  station  in  the  Natchez  sloop- 
of-war,  and  the  Experiment,  man-of-war  schooner,  also 
arrived  and  remained.  After  the  arrival  of  the  Natchez, 
the  Commodore  took  command  of  all  hands  of  us  afloat,  and 
we  were  kept  in  a  state  of  high  preparation  for  service.  We 
were  occasionally  at  quarters,  nights,  though  I  never  ex 
actly  knew  the  reasons.  It  was  said  attacks  on  us  were 
anticipated.  General  Scott  was  in  the  fort,  and  matters 
looked  very  warlike,  for  several  weeks. 

At  length  we  got  the  joyful  news  that  nullification  had 
been  thrown  overboard,  and  that  no  more  was  to  be  appre 
hended.  It  seems  that  the  crews  of  the  different  cutters 
had  been  increased  for  this  particular  service ;  but,  now  it 
was  over,  there  were  more  men  employed  than  Government 
had  needed.  We  were  told,  in  consequence,  that  those 
among  us  who  wished  our  discharges,  might  have  them  on 
application. 

I  had  been  long  enough  in  this  'long-shore  service,  and 
applied  to  be  discharged,  under  this  provision.  My  time 
was  so  near  out,  however,  that  I  should  have  got  away 
soon,  in  regular  course. 

I  now  went  ashore  at  Charleston,  and  had  my  swig,  as 
long  as  the  money  lasted.  1  gave  myself  no  trouble  about 
the  ship's  husband,  whose  collar-bone  I  had  broken  ;  nor  do 
I  now  know  whether  he  was  then  living,  or  dead.  In  a 
word,  I  thought  only  of  the  present  time ;  the  past  and  the 
future  being  equally  indifferent  to  me.  My  old  landlord 


A    LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  189 

,  was  dead ;  and  I  fell  altogether  into  the  hands  of  a  new  set. 
[  never  took  the  precaution  to  change  my  name,  at  any 
period  of  my  life,  with  the  exception,  that  I  dropped  the 
Robert,  in  signing  shipping-articles.  I  also  wrote  my  name 
Myers,  instead  of  Meyers,  as,  I  have  been  informed  by  my 
sister,  was  the  true  spelling.  But  this  proceeded  from  igno 
rance,  and  not  from  intention.  In  all  times,  and  seasons, 
and  weathers,  and  services,  I  have  sailed  as  Ned  Myers ;  and 
as  nothing  else. 

It  soon  became  necessary  to  ship  again  ;  and  I  went  on 
board  the  Harriet  and  Jesse,  which  was  bound  to  Havre  de 
Grace.  This  proved  to  be  a  pleasant,  easy  voyage ;  the 
ship  coming  back  to  New  York  filled  with  passengers,  who 
were  called  Swiss  ;  but  most  of  whom,  as  I  understand,  came 
from  Wurtemberg,  Alsace,  and  the  countries  on  the  Rhine. 
On  reaching  New  York,  I  went  on  to  Philadelphia,  to  obtain 
the  effects  I  had  left  there,  when  I  went  out  in  the  Amelia. 
But  my  landlord  was  dead  ;  his  family  was  scattered  ;  and 
my  property  had  disappeared.  I  never  knew  who  got  it  ; 
but  a  quadrant,  watch,  and  some  entirely  new  clothes,  went 
in  the  wreck.  I  suppose  I  lost,  at  least,  two  hundred  dol 
lars,  in  this  way.  What  odds  did  it  make  to  me  ?  it  would 
have  gone  in  grog,  if  it  had  not  gone  in  this  manner. 

I  staid  but  a  short  time  in  Philadelphia,  joining  a  brig, 
called  the  Topaz,  bound  to  Havana.  We  arrived  out,  after 
a  short  passage ;  and  here  I  was  exposed  to  as  strong  a 
temptation  to  commit  crime,  as  a  poor  fellow  need  encountei. 
A  beautiful  American-built  brig,  was  lying  in  port,  bound  to 
Africa,  for  slaves.  She  was  the  loveliest  craft  I  ever  laid 
eyes  on ;  and  the  very  sight  of  her  gave  me  a  longing  to  go 
in  her.  She  offered  forty  dollars  a  month,  with  the  privi 
lege  of  a  slave  and  a  half.  I  went  so  far  as  to  try  to  get  on 
board  her ;  but  met  with  some  difficulty,  in  having  my  things 
seized.  The  captain  found  it  out ;  and,  by  pointing  out  to 
me  the  danger  I  ran,  succeeded  in  changing  my  mind. 

I  will  not  deny,  that  I  knew  the  trade  was  immoral ;  but 
so  is  smuggling ;  and  I  viewed  them  pretty  much  as  the 
same  thing,  in  this  sense.  I  am  now  told,  that  the  law  of 
this  country  pronounces  the  American  citizen,  who  goes  in 
a  slaver,  a  pirate ;  and  treats  him  as  such  ;  which,  to  me, 
seems  very  extraordinary.  I  do  not  understand,  how  a 


190  NED    MYERS;    OR 

Spaniard  can  do  that,  and  be  no  pirate,  which  makes  an 
American  a  pirate,  if  he  be  guilty  of  it.  I  feel  certain,  that 
very  few  sailors  know  in  what  light  the  law  views  slaving. 
Now,  piracy  is  robbing,  on  the  high  seas,  and  has  always 
been  contrary  to  law ;  but  slaving  was  encouraged  by  all 
nations,  a  short  time  since ;  and  we  poor  tars  look  upon  the 
change,  as  nothing  but  a  change  in  policy.  As  for  myself, 
I  should  have  gone  in  that  brig,  in  utter  ignorance  of  the 
risks  I  ran,  and  believing  myself  to  be  about  as  guilty,  in  a 
moral  sense,  as  I  was  when  I  smuggled  tobacco,  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  or  opium  in  Canton.* 

*  This  is  the  reasoning  of  Ned.  I  have  always  looked  upon  the 
American  law  as  erroneous  in  principle,  and  too  severe  in  its  penal 
ties.  Erroneous  in  principle,  as  piracy  is  a  crime  against  the  law  of 
nations,  and  it  is  not  legal  for  any  one  community  to  widen,  or  nar 
row,  the  action  of  international  law.  It  is  peculiarly  the  policy  of  this 
country,  rigidly  to  observe  this  principle,  since  she  has  so  many  in 
terests  dependent  on  its  existence.  The  punishment  of  death  is  too 
severe,  when  we  consider  that  nabobs  are  among  us,  who  laid  the 
foundations  of  their  wealth,  as  slaving  merchants,  when  slaving  was 
legal.  Sudden  mutations  in  morals,  are  not  to  be  made  by  a  dash  of 
the  pen  ;  and  even  public  sentiment  can  hardly  be  made  to  consider 
slaving  much  of  a  crime,  in  a  slave-holding  community.  But,  even 
the  punishment  of  death  might  be  inflicted,  without  arrogating  to 
Congress  a  power  to  say  what  is,  and  what  is  not,  piracy. 

It  will  probably  be  sdd,  the  error  is  merely  one  of  language  ;  the 
jurisdiction  being  clearly  legal.  Is  this  true  ?  Can  Congress,  legally 
or  constitutionally,  legislate  for  American  citizens,  when  undeniably 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  foreign  states?  Admit  this  as  a  principle, 
and  what  is  to  prevent  Congress  from  punishing  acts,  that  it  may  be 
the  policy  of  foreign  countries  to  exact  from  even  casual  residents. 
If  Congress  can  punish  me,  as  a  pirate,  for  slaving  under  a  foreign 
flag,  and  in  foreign  countries,  it  can  punish  me  for  carrying  arms 
against  all  American  allies  ;  and  yet  military  service  may  be  exacted 
of  even  an  American  citizen,  resident  in  a  foreign  state,  under  particular 
circumstances.  The  same  difficulty,  in  principle,  may  be  extended  to 
the  whole  catalogue  of  legal  crime. 

Congress  exists  only  for  specified  purposes.  It  can  punish  piracy, 
but  it  cannot  declare  what  shall,  or  shall  not,  be  piracy;  as  this  would 
be  invading  the  authority  of  international  law.  Under  the  general 
power  to  pass  laws,  that  are  necessary  to  carry  out  the  system,  it  can 
derive  no  authority  ;  since  there  can  be^no  legal  necessity  for  any 
such  double  legislation,  under  the  comity  of  nations.  Suppose,  for 
instance,  England  should  legalize  slaving,  again.  Could  the  United 


A    LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  101 

As  the  Topaz  was  coming  out  of  the  port  of  Havana, 
homeward  bound,  and  just  as  she  was  abreast  of  the  Moro, 
the  brig  carried  away  her  bobstay.  I  was  busy  in  helping 
to  unreeve  the  stay,  when  I  was  seized  with  sudden  and  vio 
lent  cramps.  This  attack  proved  to  be  the  cholera,  which 
came  near  carrying  me  off.  The  captain  had  me  taken  aft, 
where  I  was  attended  with  the  greatest  care.  God  be  praised 
for  his  mercy !  I  got  well,  though  scarcely  able  to  do  any 
more  duty  before  we  got  in. 

A  short  voyage  gives  short  commons  ,*  and  I  was  soon 
obliged  to  look  out  for  another  craft.  This  'time  I  shipped 
in  the  Erie,  Captain  Funk,  a  Havre  liner,  and  sailed  soon 
after.  This  was  a  noble  ship,  with  the  best  of  usage.  Both 
our  passages  were  pleasant,  and  give  me  nothing  to  relate. 
While  I  was  at  work  in  the  hold,  at  Havre,  a  poor  female 
passenger,  who  came  to  look  at  the  ship,  fell  through  the 
hatch,  and  was  so  much  injured  as  to  be  left  behind.  I 
mention  the  circumstance  merely  to  show  how  near  I  was 
to  a  meeting  with  my  old  shipmate,  who  is  writing  these 
pages,  and  yet  missed  him.  On  comparing  notes,  I  find  he 
was  on  deck  when  this  accident  happened,  having  come  to 
see  after  some  effects  he  was  then  shipping  to  New  York. 
These  very  effects  I  handled,  and  supposed  them  to  belong 
to  a  passenger  who  was  to  come  home  in  the  ship ;  but,  as 
they  were  addressed  to  another  name,  I  could  not  recognise 
them.  Mr.  Cooper  did  not  come  home  in  the  Erie,  but 
passed  over  to  England,  and  embarked  at  London,  and  so 
I  failed  to  see  him. 

In  these  liners,  the  captains  wish  to  keep  the  good  men  of 
their  crews  as  long  as  they  can.  We  liked  the  Erie  and 
her  captain  so  much,  that  eight  or  ten  of  us  stuck  by  the 
ship,  and  went  out  in  her  again.  This  time  our  luck  was 
not  so  good.  The  passage  out  was  well  enough,  but  home 
ward-bound  we  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  While  in  Havre, 

States  claim  the  American  citizen,  who  had  engaged  in  slaving,  under 
the  English  flag,  and  from  a  British  port,  under  the  renowned  Ash- 
burton  treaty  ?  Would  England  give  such  a  man  up  ?  No  more 
than  she  will  now  give  up  the  slaves  that  run  from  the  American  ves 
sel,  which  is  driven  in  by  stress  of  weather.  One  of  the  vices  of 
philanthropy  is  to  overreach  its  own  policy,  by  losing  sight  of  all 
collateral  principles  and  interests EDITOR. 


192  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

too,  we  had  a  narrow  escape.  Christmas  night,  a  fire  broka 
out  in  the  cabin,  and  came  near  smothering  us  all,  forward, 
before  we  knew  anything  about  it.  Our  chief  mate,  whose 
name  was  Everdy,*  saved  the  vessel  by  his  caution  and 
exertions  ;  the  captain  not  getting  on  board  until  the  lire  h«'\d 
come  to  a  head.  We  kept  everything  closed  until  an  engine 
was  ready,  then  cut  away  the  deck,  and  sent  down  the  hos« 
This  expedient,  with  a  free  use  of  water,  saved  the  ship.  It 
is  not  known  how  the  fire  originated.  A  good  deal  of 
damage  was  done,  and  some  property  was  lost. 

Notwithstanding  this  accident,  we  had  the  ship  ready  for 
sea  early  in  January,  1834.  For  the  first  week  out,  WQ 
met  with  head  winds  and  heavy  weather ;  so  heavy,  in 
deed,  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  get  rid  of  the  pilot.  The 
ship  beat  down  channel  with  him  on  board,  as  low  as  the 
Eddystone.  Here  we  saw  the  Sully,  outward  bound,  run 
ning  up  channel  before  the  wind.  Signals  were  exchanged, 
arid  our  ship,  which  was  then  well  off  the  land,  ran  in  and 
spoke  the  Sully.  We  put  our  pilot  on  board  this  ship, 
which  was  doing  a  good  turn  all  round.  The  afternoon 
proving  fair,  and  the  wind  moderating,  Captain  Funk  filled 
and  stood  in  near  to  the  coast,  as  his  best  tack.  Towards 
night,  however,  the  gale  freshened,  and  blew  into  the  bay, 
between  the  Start  Point  and  the  Lizard,  in  a  heavy,  steady 
manner. 

The  first  thing  \vas  to  ware  off'  shore ;  after  which,  we 
were  compelled  to  take  in  nearly  all  our  canvass.  The 
gale  continued  to  increase,  and  the  night  set  in  dark. 
There  were  plenty  of  ports  to  leeward,  but  it  was  ticklish 
work  to  lose  a  foot  of  ground,  unless  one  knew  exactly 
where  he  was  going.  We  had  no  pilot,  and  the  captain  de 
cided  to  hold  on.  I  have  seldom  known  it  to  blow  harder 
than  it  did  that  night ;  and,  for  hours,  everything  depended 
on  our  main-topsail's  standing,  which  sail  we  had  set,  close- 
reefed,  t  did  not  see  anything  to  guide  us,  but  the  com 
pass,  until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  I  caught  a  view  of  a 
light  close  on  our  lee  bow.  This  was  the  Eddystone, 
which  stands  pretty  nearly  in  a  line  between  the  Start  and 
the  Lizard,  and  rather  more  than  three  leagues  from  the 

*  Ned's  pronunciation. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  193 

land.  As  we  headed,  we  might  jay  past,  should  every 
thing  stand ;  but,  if  our  topsail  went,  we  should  have  been 
pretty  certain  of  fetching  up  on  those  famous  rocks,  where 
a  three-decker  would  have  gone  to  pieces  in  an  hour's  time 
in  such  a  gale. 

I  suppose  we  passed  the'Eddystone  at  a  safe  distance,  or 
the  captain  would  not  have  attempted  going  to  windward  of 
it ;  but,  to  me,  it  appeared  that  we  were  fearfully  near.  The 
sea  was  breaking  over  the  light  tremendously,  and  could  be 
plainly  seen,  as  it  flashed  up  near  the  lantern.  We  went 
by,  however,  surging  slowly  ahead,  though  our  drift  must 
have  been  very  material. 

The  Start,  and  the  point  to  the  westward  of  it,  were  still 
to  be  cleared.  They  were  a  good  way  off,  and  but  a  little 
to  leeward,  as  the  ship  headed.  In  smooth  water,  and  with 
a  whole-sail  breeze,  it  would  have  been  easy  enough  to  lay 
past  the  Start,  when  at  the  Eddystone,  with  a  south-west 
wind  ;  but,  in  a  gale,  it  is  a  serious  matter,  especially  on  a 
flood-tide.  I  know  all  hands  of  us,  forward  and  aft,  looked 
upon  our  situation  as  very  grave.  We  passed  several  un 
easy  hours,  after  we  lost  sight  of  the  Eddystone,  before  we 
got  a  view  of  the  land  near  the  Start.  When  I  saw  it,  the 
heights  appeared  like  a  dark  cloud  hanging  over  us,  and  I 
certainly  thought  the  ship  was  gone.  At  this  time,  the  cap 
tain  and  mate  consulted  together,  and  the  latter  came  to  us, 
in  a  very  calm,  steady  manner,  and  said — "  Come,  boys ; 
we  may  as  well  go  ashore  without  masts  as  with  them,  and 
our  only  hope  is  in  getting  more  canvass  to  stand.  We 
must  turn-to,  and  make  sail  on  the  ship." 

Everybody  was  in  motion  on  this  hint,  and  the  first  thing 
we  did  was  to  board  fore-tack.  The  clews  of  that  sail  camo 
down  as  if  so  many  giants  had  hold  of  the  tack  and  sheet. 
We  set  it,  double-reefed,  which  made  it  but  a  rag  of  a  sail, 
and  yet  the  ship  felt  it  directly.  We  next  tried  the  fore-top 
sail,  close-reefed,  and  this  stood.  It  was  well  we  did,  for  I 
feel  certain  the  ship  was  now  in  the  ground-swell  That 
black  hill  seemed  ready  to  fall  on  our  heads.  We  tried  the 
mizen-topsail,  but  we  found  it  would  not  do,  and  we  furled 
it  again,  not  without  great  difficulty.  Things  still  looked 
serious,  the  land  drawing  nearer  and  nearer ;  and  we  tried 
to  get  the  mainsail,  double-reefed,  on  the  ship.  Everybody 
17 


104  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

mustered  at  the  tack  and  sheet,  and  we  dragged  down  that 
bit  of  cloth  as  if  it  had  been  muslin.  The  good  ship  now 
quivered  like  a  horse  that  is  over-ridden,  but  in  those  liners 
everything  is  strong,  and  everything  stood.  I  never  saw 
spray  thrown  from  a  ship's  bows,  as  it  was  thrown  from  the 
Erie's  that  night.  We  had  a  breathless  quarter  of  an  hour 
after  the  mainsail  was  set,  everybody  looking  to  see  what 
would  go  first.  Every  rope  and  bolt  in  the  craft  was  tried 
to  the  utmost,  but  all  stood  !  At  the  most  critical  moment, 
we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  light  in  a  house  that  was  known 
to  stand  near  the  Start ;  and  the  mate  came  among  us,  pointed 
it  out,  and  said,  if  we  weathered  that,  we  should  go  clear. 
After  hearing  this,  my  eyes  were  never  off  that  light,  and 
glad  was  I  to  see  it  slowly  drawing  more  astern,  and  more 
under  our  lee.  At  last  we  got  it  on  our  quarter,  and  knew 
that  we  had  gone  clear !  The  gloomy-looking  land  disap 
peared  to  leeward,  in  a  deep,  broad  bay,  giving  us  plenty  of 
sea-room. 

We  now  took  in  canvass,  to  ease  the  ship.  The  mainsail 
and  fore-topsail  were  furled,  leaving  her  to  jog  along  under 
the  main-topsail,  foresail,  and  fore-topmast  staysail.  I  look 
upon  this  as  one  of  my  narrowest  escapes  from  shipwreck ; 
and  I  consider  the  escape,  under  the  mercy  of  God,  to  have 
been  owing  to  the  steadfness  of  our  officers,  and  the  goodness 
of  the  ship  and  her  outfit.  It  was  like  pushing  a  horse  to 
the  trial  of  every  nerve  and  sinew,  and  only  winning  the 
race  under  whip  and  spur.  Wood,  and  iron,  and  cordage, 
and  canvass,  can  do  no  more  than  they  did  that  night. 

Next  morning,  at  breakfast,  the  crew  talked  the  matter 
over.  We  had  a  hard  set  in  this  ship,  the  men  being  prime 
seamen,  but  of  reckless  habits  and  characters.  Some  of  the 
most  thoughtless  among  them  admitted  that  they  had  prayed 
secretly  for  succour,  and,  for  myself,  I  am  most  thankful 
that  7  did.  These  confessions  were  made  half-jestingly,  but 
I  believe  them  to  have  been  true,  judging  from  my  own  case. 
It  may  sound  bravely  in  the  ears  of  the  thoughtless  and 
foolish,  to  boast  of  indifference  on  such  occasions ;  but,  few 
men  can  face  death  under  circumstances  like  those  in  which 
we  were  placed,  without  admitting  to  themselves,  however 
reluctantly,  that  there  is  a  Power  above,  on  which  they  must 
lean  for  personal  safety,  as  well  as  for  spiritual  support 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  195 

More  than  usual  care  was  had  for  the  future  welfare  of  sailors 
among  the  Havre  liners,  there  being  a  mariners'  church  at 
Havre,  at  which  our  captain  always  attended,  as  well  as  his 
mates ;  and  efforts  were  made  to  make  us  go  also.  The 
effect  was  good,  the  men  being  better  behaved,  and  more 
sober,  in  consequence. 

The  wind  shifted  a  day  or  two  after  this  escape,  giving 
us  a  slant  that  carried  us  past  Scilly,  fairly  out  into  the  At 
lantic.  A  fortnight  or  so  after  our  interview  with  the  Ed- 
dystone  we  carried  away  the  pintals  of  the  rudder,  which 
was  saved  only  by  the  modern  invention  that  prevents  the 
head  from  dropping,  by  means  of  the  deck.  To  prevent  the 
strain,  and  to  get  some  service  from  the  rudder,  however, 
we  found  it  necessary  to  sling  the  latter,  and  to  breast  it 
into  the  stern-post  by  means  of  purchases.  A  spar  was  laid 
athwart  the  coach-house,  directly  over  the  rudder,  and  we 
rove  a  chain  through  the  tiller-hole,  and  passed  it  over  this 
spar.  For  this  purpose  the  smallest  chain-cable  was  used, 
the  rudder  being  raised  from  the  deck  by  means  of  sheers. 
We  then  got  a  set  of  chain-topsail  sheets,  parcelled  them 
well,  and  took  a  clove  hitch  with  them  around  the  rudder, 
about  half-way  up.  One  end  was  brought  into  each  main- 
chain,  and  set  up  by  tackles.  In  this  manner  the  wheel  did 
tolerably  well,  though  we  had  to  let  the  ship  lie-to  in  heavy 
weather. 

The  chain  sheets  held  on  near  a  month,  and  then  gave 
way.  On  examination,  it  was  found  that  the  parcelling  had 
gone  under  the  ship's  counter,  and  that  the  copper  had  nearly 
destroyed  the  iron.  After  this,  we  mustered  all  the  chains 
of  the  ship,  of  proper  size,  parcelled  them  very  thoroughly, 
got  another  clove  hitch  around  the  rudder  as  before,  and 
brought  the  ends  to  the  hawse-holes,  letting  the  bights  fall, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  ship's  keel.  The  ends  were  next 
brought  to  the  windlass  and  hove  taut.  This  answered  pretty 
well,  and  stood  until  we  got  the  ship  into  New  York.  Our 
whole  passage  was  stormy,  and  lasted  seventy  days,  as  near 
as  I  can  recollect.  The  ship  was  almost  given  up  when  we 
got  in,  and  great  was  the  joy  at  our  arrival. 

As  the  Erie  lost  her  turn,  in  consequence  of  wanting  re 
pairs,  most  of  us  went  on  board  the  Henry  IVth,  in  the 
same  line.  This  vovage  was  comfortable,  and  successful , 


196  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

a  fine  ship  and  good  usage.  On  our  return  to  New  York 
most  of  us  went  back  to  the  Erie,  liking  both  vessel  and 
captain,  as  well  as  her  other  officers.  I  went  twice  mora 
to  Havre  and  back  in  this  ship,  making  four  voyages  in  her 
in  all.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  voyage  our  old  mate  left 
us,  to  do  business  ashore,  and  we  took  a  dislike  to  his  suc 
cessor,  though  it  was  without  trying  him.  The  mate  we 
lost  had  been  a  great  favourite,  and  we  seemed  to  think  if 
he  went  we  must  go  too.  At  any  rate,  nearly  all  hands 
went  to  the  Silvie  de  Grasse,  where  we  got  another  good 
ship,  good  officers,  and  good  treatment.  In  fact,  all  these 
Havre  liners  were  very  much  alike  in  these  respects,  the  Sil 
vie  de  Grasse  being  the  fourth  in  which  I  had  then  sailed, 
and  to  me  they  all  seemed  as  if  they  belonged  to  the  same 
family.  I  went  twice  to  Havre  in  this  ship  also,  wtten  I  left 
her  for  the  Normandy,  in  the  same  line.  I  made  this  change 
in  consequence  of  an  affair  about  some  segars  in  Havre,  in 
which  I  had  no  other  concern  than  to  father  another  man's 
fault.  The  captain  treated  me  very  handsomely,  but  my 
temperament  is  such  that  I  am  apt  to  fly  off  in  a  tangent 
when  anything  goes  up  stream.  It  was  caprice  that  took 
me  from  the  Silvie  de  Grasse,  and  put  me  in  her  sister- 
liner. 

I  liked  the  Normandy  as  well  as  the  rest  of  these  liners, 
except  that  the  vessel  steered  badly.  I  made  only  one  voy 
age  in  her,  however,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

I  HAD  now  been  no  less  than  eight  voyages  in  the  Havre 
trade,  without  intermission.  So  regular  had  my  occupation 
become,  that  I  began  to  think  I  was  a  part  of  a  liner  myself. 
I  liked  the  treatment,  the  food,  the  ships,  and  the  officers. 
Whenever  we  got  home,  I  worked  in  the  ship,  at  day's  work, 
until  paid  ofF;  after  which,  no  more  was  seen  of  Ned  until 
it  was  time  to  go  on  board  to  sail.  When  I  got  in,  in  the 
Normandy,  it  happened  as  usual,  though  I  took  a  short  swing 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE    MAST.  197 

only.  Mr.  Everdy,  our  old  mate  in  the  Erie,  was  working 
gangs  of  stevedores,  riggers,  &c.,  ashore;  and  when  I  went 
and  reported  myself  to  him,  as  ready  for  work  in  the  Nor 
mandy  again,  he  observed  that  her  gang  was  full,  but  that, 
by  going  up-town  next  morning,  to  the  screw-dock,  I  should 
find  an  excellent  job  on  board  a  brig.  The  following  day, 
accordingly,  I  took  my  dinner  in  a  pail,  and  started  off  for 
the  dock,  as  directed.  On  my  way,  I  fell  in  with  an  old 
shipmate  in  the  navy,  a  boatswain's-mate,  of  the  name  of 
Benson.  This  man  asked  me  where  I  was  bound  with  my 
pail,  and  I  told  him.  "  What's  the  use,"  says  he,  "  of  drag 
ging  your  soul  out  in  these  liners,  when  you  have  a  man-of- 
war  under  your  lee!"  Then  he  told  me  he  meant  to  ship, 
and  advised  me  to  do  the  same.  I  drank  with  him  two  or 
three  times,  and  felt  half  persuaded  to  enter ;  but,  recollect 
ing  the  brig,  I  left  him,  and  pushed  on  to  the  dock.  When 
I  got  there,  it  was  so  late  that  the  vessel  had  got  off  the  dock, 
and  was  already  under  way  in  the  stream. 

My  day's  work  was  now  up,  and  I  determined  to  make  a 
full  holiday  of  it.  As  I  went  back,  I  fell  in  with  Captain 
Mix,  the  officer  with  whom  I  had  first  gone  on  the  lakes,  and 
my  old  first-lieutenant  in  the  Delaware,  and  had  a  bit  of 
navy  talk  with  him ;  after  which  I  drifted  along  as  far  as 
the  rendezvous.  The  officer  in  charge  was  Mr.  M'Kenny, 
my  old  first-lieutenant  in  the  Brandywirie,  and,  before  I  quit 
ted  the  house,  my  name  was  down,  again,  for  one  of  Uncle 
Sam's  sailor-men.  In  this  accidental  manner  have  I  floated 
about  the  world,  most  of  my  life — not  dreaming  in  the  morn 
ing,  what  would  fetch  me  up  before  night. 

When  it  was  time  to  go  off,  I  was  ready,  and  was  sent  on 
board  the  Hudson,  which  vessel  Captain  Mix  then  com 
manded.  I  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  I  never 
ran,  or  thought  of  running,  from  either  of  the  eleven  men- 
of-war  on  board  of  which  I  have  served,  counting  big  and 
little,  service  of  days  and  service  of  years.  I  had  so  long  a 
pull  in  the  receiving-ship,  as  to  get  heartily  tired  of  her  ; 
and,  when  an  opportunity  offered,  I  put  my  name  down  for 
the  Constellation  38,  which  was  then  fitting  out  for  the  West 
India  station,  in  Norfolk.  A  draft  of  us  was  sent  round  to 
that  ship  accordingly,  and  we  found  she  had  hauled  off  from 
the  yard,  and  was  lying  between  the  forts.  When  I  got  on 
17* 


198  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

board,  I  ascertained  that  something  like  fifty  of  my  old  liners 
were  in  this  very  ship,  some  common  motive  inducing  them 
to  take  service  in  the  navy,  all  at  the  same  time.  As  for 
myself,  it  happened  just  as  I  have  related,  though  I  always 
liked  the  navy,  and  was  ever  ready  to  join  a  ship  of  war,  foi 
a  pleasant  cruise. 

Commodore  Dallas's  pennant  was  flying  in  the  Constella 
tion  when  I  joined  her.  A  short  time  afterwards,  the  ship 
sailed  for  the  West  Indies.  As  there  was  nothing  material 
occurred  in  the  cruise,  it  is  unnecessary  to  relate  things  in 
the  order  in  which  they  took  place.  The  ship  went  to 
Havana,  Trinidad,  Curaqoa,  Laguayra,  Santa  Cruz,  Vera 
Cruz,  Campeachy,  Tampico,  Key  West,  &c.  We  lay  more 
or  less  time  at  all  these  ports,  and  in  Santa  Cruz  we  had  a 
great  ball  on  board.  After  passing  several  months  in  this 
manner,  we  went  to  Pensacola.  The  St.  Louis  was  with  us 
most  of  this  time,  though  she  did  not  sail  from  America  in 
company.  The  next  season  the  whole  squadron  went  to 
Vera  Cruz  in  company,  seven  or  eight  sail  of  us  in  all,  giving 
the  Mexicans  some  alarm,  I  believe. 

But  the  Florida  war  gave  us  the  most  occupation.  I  was 
out  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  on  expeditions,-and  can  say  I  never 
saw  an  Indian,  except  those  who  came  to  give  themselves 
up.  I  was  in  steamboats,  cutters,  launches,  and  on  shore, 
marching  like  a  soldier,  with  a  gun  on  my  shoulder,  and 
precious  duty  it  was  for  a  sailor. 

The  St.  Louis  being  short  of  hands,  I  was  also  drafted  for 
a  cruise  in  her;  going  the  rounds  much  as  we  had  done  in 
the  frigate.  This  was  a  fine  ship,  and  was  then  commanded 
by  Captain  Rousseau,  an  officer  much  respected  and  liked, 
by  us  all.  Mr.  Byrne,  my  old  shipmate  in  the  Delaware, 
went  out  with  us  as  first-lieutenant  of  the  Constellation,  but 
he  did  not  remain  out  the  whole  cruise. 

Altogether  I  was  out  on  the  West  India  station  three 
years,  but  got  into  the  hospital,  for  several  months  of  the 
time,  in  consequence  of  a  broken  bone.  While  in  the  hos 
pital,  the  frigate  made  a  cruise,  leaving  me  ashore.  On  her 
return,  I  was  invalided  home,  in  the  Levant,  Captain  Pauld- 
ing,  another  solid,  excellent  officer.  In  a  word,  I  was  lucky 
in  my  officers,  generally ;  the  treatment  on  board  the  frigate 
being  just  and  good.  The  duty  in  the  Constellation  was 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  199 

very  hard,  being  a  sort  of  soldier  duty,  which  may  be  very 
well  for  those  that  are  trained  to  it,  but  makes  bad  weather 
for  us  blue-jackets.  Captain  Mix,  the  officer  with  whom  I 
went  to  the  lakes,  was  out  on  the  station  in  command  of  the 
Concord,  sloop  of  war,  and,  for  some  time,  was  in  charge 
of  our  ship,  during  the  absence  of  Commodore  Dallas,  in 
his  own  vessel.  In  this  manner  are  old  shipmates  often 
thrown  together,  after  years  of  separation. 

In  the  hospital  I  was  rated  as  porter,  Captain  Bolton  and 
Captain  Latimer  being  my  commanding  officers ;  the  first 
being  in  charge  of  the  yard,  and  the  second  his  next  in  rank. 
From  these  two  gentlemen  I  received  so  many  favours,  that 
it  would  be  ungrateful  in  me  not  to  mention  them.  Dr.  Ter- 
rill,  the  surgeon  of  the  hospital,  too,  was  also  exceedingly 
kind  to  me,  during  the  time  I  was  under  his  care. 

As  I  had  much  leisure  time  in  the  hospital,  I  took  charge 
of  a  garden,  and  got  to  be  somewhat  of  a  gardener.  It  was 
said  I  had  the  best  garden  about  Pensacola,  which  is  quite 
likely  true,  as  I  never  saw  but  one  other. 

The  most  important  thing,  however,  that  occurred  to  rne 
while  in  the  hospital,  was  a  disposition  that  suddenly  arose 
in  my  mind,  to  reflect  on  my  future  state,  and  to  look  at 
religious  things  with  serious  eyes.  .Dr.  Terrill  had  some 
blacks  in  his  service,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  holding  little 
Methodist  meetings,  where  they  sang  hymns,  and  conversed 
together  seriously.  I  never  joined  these  people,  being  too 
white  for  that,  down  at  Pensacola,  but  I  could  overhear  them 
from  my  own  little  room.  A  Roman  Catholic  in  the  hospi 
tal  had  a  prayer-book  in  English,  which  he  lent  to  me,  and 
I  got  into  the  habit  of  reading  a  prayer  in  it,  daily,  as  a  sort 
of  worshipping  of  the  Almighty.  This  was  the  first  act  of 
mine,  that  approached  private  worship,  since  the  day  I  left 
Mr.  Marchinton's ;  if  I  except  the  few  hasty  mental  petitions 
put  up  in  moments  of  danger. 

After  a  time,  I  began  to  think  it  would  never  do  for  me,  a 
Protestant  born  and  baptised,  to  be  studying  a  Romish  prayer- 
book  ;  and  I  hunted  up  one  that  was  Protestant,  and  which 
bad  been  written  expressly  for  seamen.  This  I  took  to  my 
room,  and  used  in  place  of  the  Romish  book.  Dr.  Terrill 
had  a  number  of  bibles  under  his  charge,  and  I  obtained  one 
of  these,  also,  and  I  actually  got  into  the  practice  of  reading 


200  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

a  chapter  every  night,  as  well  as  of  reading  a  prayer.  I 
also  knocked  off  from  drink,  and  ceased  to  swear.  My 
reading  in  the  bible,  now,  was  not  for  the  stones,  but  seri 
ously  to  improve  my  mind  and  morals. 

1  must  have  been  several  months  getting  to  be  more  and 
more  in  earnest  on  the  subject  of  morality,  if  not  of  vita, 
religion,  when  I  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  new  stew 
ard,  who  had  just  joined  the  hospital.  This  man  was  ready 
enough  to  converse  with  me  about  the  bible,  but  he  turned 
out  to  be  a  Deist.  Notwithstanding  my  own  disposition  to 
think  more  seriously  of  my  true  situation,  I  had  many  mis 
givings  on  the  subject  of  the  Saviour's  being  the  Son  of 
God.  It  seemed  improbable  to  me,  and  I  was  falling  into 
the  danger  which  is  so  apt  to  beset  the  new  beginner — that 
of  self-sufficiency,  and  the  substituting  of  human  wisdom 
for  faith.  The  steward  was  not  slow  in  discovering  this ; 
and  he  produced  some  of  Tom  Paine's  works,  by  way  of 
strengthening  me  in  the  unbelief.  I  now  read  Tom  Paine, 
instead  of  the  bible,  and  soon  had  practical  evidence  of  the 
bad  effects  of  his  miserable  system.  I  soon  got  stern-way 
on  me  in  morals ;  began  to  drink,  as  before,  though  seldom 
intoxicated,  and  grew  indifferent  to  my  bible  and  prayer- 
book,  as  well  as  careless  of  the  future.  I  began  to  think 
that  the  things  of  this  world  were  to  be  enjoyed,  and  he  was 
the  wisest  who  made  the  most  of  his  time. 

I  must  confess,  also,  that  the  bad  examples  which  I  saw  set 
by  men  professing  to  be  Christians,  had  a  strong  tendency 
to  disgust  me  with  religion.  The  great  mistake  I  made  was, 
in  supposing  I  had  undergone  any  real  change  of  heart. 
Circumstances  disposed  me  to  reflect,  and  reflection  brought 
me  to  be  serious,  on  subjects  that  I  had  hitherto  treated  with 
levity ;  but  the  grace  of  God  was  still,  in  a  great  degree, 
withheld  from  me,  leaving  me  a  prey  to  such  arguments  as 
those  of  the  steward,  and  his  great  prophet  and  master, 
Mr.  Paine. 

In  the  hospital,  and  that,  too,  at  a  place  like  Pensacola 
there  was  little  opportunity  for  me  to  break  out  into  my  old 
excesses ;  though  I  found  liquor,  on  one  or  two  occasions,, 
even  there,  and  got  myself  into  some  disgrace  in  conse 
quence.  On  the  whole,  however,  the  discipline,  my  situa« 
tion,  and  roy  own  resolution,  kept  me  tolerably  correct.  It 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  201 

is  the  restraint  of  a  ship  that  alone  prevents  sailors  from 
dying  much  sooner  than  they  do ;  for  it  is  certain  no  man 
could  hold  out  long  who  passed  three  or  four  months 
every  year  in  the  sort  of  indulgencies  into  which  I  myself 
have  often  run,  after  returning  from  long  voyages.  This  is 
one  advantage  of  the  navy ;  two  or  three  days  of  riotous 
living  being  all  a  fellow  can  very  well  get  in  a  three  years' 
cruise.  Any  man  who  has  ever  been  in  a  vessel  of  war, 
particularly  in  old  times,  can  see  the  effect  produced  by  the 
system,  and  regular  living  of  a  ship.  When  the  crew  first 
came  on  board,  the  men  were  listless,  almost  lifeless,  with 
recent  dissipation;  some  suffering  with  the  "horrors,"  perhaps; 
but  a  few  weeks  of  regular  living  would  bring  them  all 
round ;  and,  by  the  end  of  the  cruise,  most  of  the  people 
would  come  into  port,  and  be  paid  off,  with  renovated  con 
stitutions.  It  is  a  little  different,  now,  to  be  sure,  as  the  men 
ship  for  general  service,  and  commonly  serve  a  short  ap 
prenticeship  in  a  receiving  vessel,  before  they  are  turned 
over  to  the  sea-going  craft.  This  brings  them  on  board  the 
last  in  a  little  better  condition  than  used  to  be  the  case;  but, 
even  now,  six  months  in  a  man-of-war  is  a  new  lease  for  a 
seaman's  life. 

I  say  I  got  myself  into  disgrace  in  the  hospital  of  Pensa- 
cola,  in  consequence  of  my  habit  of  drinking.  The  facts 
were  as  follows,  for  I  have  no  desire  to  conceal,  or  to  pa 
rade  before  the  world,  my  own  delinquencies ;  but,  I  con 
fess  them  with  the  hope  that  the  pictures  they  present,  may 
have  some  salutary  influence  on  the  conduct  of  others. 
The  doctor,  who  was  steadily  my  friend,  and  often  gave  me 
excellent  advice,  went  north,  in  order  to  bring  his  wife  to 
Pensacola.  I  was  considered  entitled  to  a  pension  for  the 
hurt  which  had  brought  me  into  the  hospital,  and  the  doctor 
had  promised  to  see  something  about  it,  while  at  Washing 
ton.  This  was  not  done,  in  consequence  of  his  not  passing 
through  Washington,  as  had  been  expected.  Now,  nature 
has  so  formed  me,  that  any  disgust,  or  disappointment, 
makes  me  reckless,  and  awakens  a  desire  to  revenge 
myself,  on  myself,  as  I  may  say.  It  was  this  feeling  which 
first  carried  me  from  Halifax ;  it  was  this  feeling  that  made 
me  run  from  the  Sterling ;  and  which  has  often  changed 
and  sometimes  marred  my  prospects,  as  I  have  passed 


202  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

through  life.  As  soon  as  I  learned  that  nothing  had  boon 
said  about  my  pension,  this  same  feeling  came  over  me, 
and  I  became  reckless.  I  had  not  drawn  my  grog  fot 
months,  and,  indeed,  had  left  off  drinking  entirely ;  but  I 
now  determined  to  have  my  fill,  at  the  first  good  opportu 
nity.  I  meant  to  make  the  officers  sorry,  by  doing  some 
thing  that  was  very  wrong,  and  for  which  I  should  be  sorry 
myself. 

I  kept  the  keys  of  the  liquor  of  the  hospital.  The  first 
thing  was  to  find  a  confederate,  which  I  did  in  the  person 
of  a  Baltimore  chap,  who  entered  into  my  plan  from  pure 
love  of  liquor.  I  then  got  a  stock  of  the  wine,  and  we  went 
to  work  on  it,  in  my  room.  The  liquor  was  sherry,  and  it 
took  nine  bottles  of  it  to  lay  us  both  up.  Even  this  did  not 
make  me  beastly  drunk,  but  it  made  me  desperate  and  im 
pudent.  I  abused  the  doctor,  and  came  very  near  putting 
my  foot  into  it,  with  Captain  Latimer,  who  is  an  officer  that 
it  will  not  do,  always,  to  trifle  with.  Still,  these  gentlemen, 
with  Captain  Bolton,  had  more  consideration  for  me,  than 
I  had  for  myself,  and  I  escaped  with  only  a  good  reprimand. 
It  was  owing  to  this  frolic,  however,  that  I  was  invalided 
home — as  they  call  it  out  there,  no  one  seeming  to  consider 
Pensacola  as  being  in  the  United  States. 

When  landed  from  the  Levant,  I  was  sent  to  the  Navy 
Yard  Hospital,  Brooklyn.  After  staying  two  or  three  days 
here,  I  determined  to  go  to  the  seat  of  government,  and  take 
a  look  at  the  great  guns  stationed  there,  Uncle  Sam  and  all. 
I  was  paid  off  from  the  Levant,  accordingly,  and  leaving 
the  balance  with  the  purser  of  the  yard,  I  set  off  on  my 
journey,  with  fifty  dollars  in  my  pockets,  which  they  tell 
me  is  about  a  member  of  Congress'  mileage,  for  the  dis 
tance  I  had  to  go.  '0f  course  this  was  enough,  as  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress  would  naturally  take  care  and  give  himself 
as  much  as  he  wanted. 

When  I  got  on  board  the  South-Amboy  boat,  I  found  a 
party  of  Indians  there,  going  to  head-quarters,  like  myself. 
The  sight  of  these  chaps  set  up  all  my  rigging,  and  I  felt 
ripe  for  fun.  I  treated  them  to  a  breakfast  each,  and  gave 
them  as  much  to  drink  as  they  could  swallow.  We  all  got 
merry,  and  had  our  own  coarse  fun,  in  the  usual  thought- 
less  manner  of  seamen.  This  was  a  bad  beginning,  and 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     M7ST  203 

by  the  time  we  reached  a  tavern,  I  was  ready  to  anchor. 
Where  this  was,  is  more  than  I  know ;  for  I  was  not  in  a 
state  to  keep  a  ship's  reckoning.  Whether  any  of  my  mo 
ney  was  stolen  or  not,  I  cannot  say,  but  I  know  that  some 
of  my  clothes  were.  Next  day  I  got  to  Philadelphia,  where 
I  had  another  frolic.  After  this,  I  went  on  to  Washington, 
keeping  it  up,  the  whole  distance.  I  fell  in  with  a  soldier 
chap,  who  was  out  of  cash,  and  who  was  going  to  Wash 
ington  to  get  a  pension,  too ;  and  so  we  lived  in  common. 
When  we  reached  Washington,  my  cash  was  diminished  to 
three  dollars  and  a  half,  and  all  was  the  consequences  of 
brandy  and  folly.  I  had  actually  spent  forty-six  dollars 
and  a  half,  in  a  journey  that  might  have  been  made  with 
ten,  respectably ! 

I  got  my  travelling  companion  to  recommend  a  boarding- 
house,  which  he  did.  I  felt  miserable  from  my  excesses, 
and  went  to  bed.  In  the  morning,  the  three  dollars  and  a 
half  were  gone.  I  felt  too  ill  to  go  to  the  Department  that 
day,  but  kept  on  drinking — eating  nothing.  Next  day,  my 
landlord  took  the  trouble  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  my 
pocket,  and  I  told  him  the  truth.  This  brought  about  a 
pretty  free  explanation  between  us,  in  which  I  was  given  to 
understand  that  my  time  was  up  in  that  place.  I  afterwards 
found  out  I  had  got  into  a  regular  soldier-house,  and  it  was 
no  wonder  they  did  not  know  how  to'treat  an  old  salt. 

Captain  Mix  had  given  me  a  letter  to  Commodore  Chaun- 
cey,  who  was  then  living,  and  one  of  the  Commissioners.  I 
felt  pretty  certain  the  old  gentleman  would  not  let  one  of  the 
Scourges  founder  at  head-quarters,  and  so  I  crawled  up  to 
the  Department,  and  got  admission  to  him.  The  commodore 
seemed  glad  to  see  me;  questioned  me  a  good  deal  about  the 
loss  of  the  schooner,  and  finally  gave  me  directions  how  to 
proceed.  I  then  discovered  that  my  pension  ticket  had 
actually  reached  Washington,  but  had  been  sent  back  to 
Pensacola,  to  get  some  informality  corrected.  This  would 
compel  me  to  remain  some  time  at  Washington.  I  felt 
unwell,  and  got  back  to  my  boarding-house  with  these 
tidings.  The  gentleman  who  kept  the  house  was  far  from 
being  satisfied  with  this,  and  he  gave  me  a  hint  that  at  once 
put  the  door  between  us.  This  was  the  first  time  I  ever  had 
a  door  shut  upon  me,  and  I  am  thankful  it  happened  at  a 


204  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

soldier  rendezvous.     I  gave  the  man  all  my  spare  clothes  in 
pawn,  and  walked  away  from  his  house. 

I  had  undoubtedly  brought  on  myself  a  fit  of  the  "horrors," 
by  my  recent  excesses.  As  I  went  along  the  streets,  I 
thought  every  one  was  sneering  at  me;  and,  though  burning 
with  thirst,  I  felt  ashamed  to  enter  any  house  to  ask  even 
for  water.  A  black  gave  me  the  direction  of  the  Navy 
Yard,  and  I  shaped  my  course  for  it,  feeling  more  like  lying 
down  to  die,  than  anything  else.  When  about  half-way 
across  the  bit  of  vacant  land  between  the  Capitol  and  the 
Yard,  I  sat  down  under  a  high  picket-fence,  and  the  devil 
put  it  into  my  head,  that  it  would  be  well  to  terminate  suf 
ferings  that  seemed  too  hard  to  be  borne,  by  hanging  myself 
on  that  very  fences  I  took  the  handkerchief  from  my  neck, 
made  a  running  bow-line,  and  got  so  far  as  to  be  at  work  at 
a  standing  bow-line,  to  hitch  over  the  top  of  one  of  the  poles 
of  the  fence. 

I  now  stood  ifp,  and  began  to  look  for  a  proper  picket  to 
make  fast  to,  when,  in  gazing  about,  I  caught  sight  of  the 
mast-heads  of  the  shipping  at  the  yard,  and  of  the  ensign 
under  which  I  had  so  long  served !  These  came  over  me, 
as  a  lighthouse  comes  over  a  mariner  in  distress  at  sea,  and 
I  tnought  there  must  be  friends  for  me  in  that  quarter.  The 
sight  gave  me  courage  and  strength,  and  I  determined  no  old 
shipmate  should  hearvof  a  blue-jacket's  hanging  himself  on 
a  picket,  in  a  fit  of  the  horrors.  Casting  off  the  bowlines,  I 
replaced  the  handkerchief  on  my  neck,  and  made  the  best 
of  my  way  towards  those  blessed  mast-heads,  which,  under 
God's  mercy,  were  the  means  of  preventing  me  from  com 
mitting  suicide. 

As  I  came  up  to  the  gate  of  the  yard,  the  marine  on  post 
sung  out  to  me,  "  Halloo,  Myers,  where  are  you  come  from  ? 
You  look  as  if  you  had  been  dragged  through  h — ,  and  beaten 
with  a  soot-bag!"  This  man,  the  first  I  met  at  the  Navy 
Yard,  had  been  with  me  three  years  in  the  Delaware,  and 
knew  me  in  spite  of  my  miserable  appearance.  He  advised 
me  to  go  on  board  the  Fulton,  then  lying  at  the  Yard,  where 
he  said  I  should  find  several  more  old  Delawares,  who  would 
take  good  care  of  me.  I  did  as  he  directed,  and,  on  getting 
on  board,  I  fell  in  with  lots  of  acquaintances.  Some  brought 
me  tea,  and  some  brought  me  grog.  I  told  my  yarn,  and 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE      MAST. 

the  chaps  around  me  laid  a  plan  to  get  ashore  on  liberty  that 
night,  and  razee  the  house  from  which  I  had  been  turned 
away.  But  I  persuaded  them  out  of  the  notion,  and  the 
landlord  went  clear. 

After  a  while,  I  got  a  direction  to  a  boarding-house  near 
the  Yard,  and  went  to  it,  with  a  message  from  my  old  ship 
mates  that  they  would  be  responsible  for  the  pay.  But  to 
this  the  man  would  not  listen ;  he  took  me  in  on  my  own 
account,  saying  that  no  blue-jacket  should  be  turned  from 
his  door,  in  distress.  Here  I  staid  and  got  a  comfortable 
night's  rest.  Next  day  I  was  a  new  man,  holy-storied  the 
decks,  and  went  a  second  time  to  the  Department. 

All  the  gentlemen  in  the  office  showed  a  desire  to  serve 
and  advise  me.  The  Pension  Clerk  gave  me  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Boyle,  the  Chief  Clerk,  who  gave  me  another  letter  to  Com 
modore  Patterson,  the  commandant  of  the  Navy-Yard.  It 
seems  that  government  provides  a  boarding-house  for  us  pen 
sioners  to  stay  in,  while  at  Washington,  looking  after  our 
rights.  This  letter  of  Mr.  Boyle's  got  me  a  berthrin  that  honge, 
where  I  was  supplied  with  everything,  even  to  washing  and 
mending,  for  six  weeks.  Through  the  purser,  I  drew  a 
stock  of  money  from  the  purser  at  New  York,  and  now 
began,  again,  to  live  sobei»ly  and  respectably,  considering 
all  things. 

The  house  in  which  I  lived  was  a  sort  of  half-hospital, 
and  may  have  had  six  or  eight  of  us  in  it,  altogether. 
Several  of  us  were  cripples  from  wounds  and  hurts,  and, 
among  others,  was  one  Reuben  James,  a  thorough  old  man- 
of-war's  man,  who  had  been  in  the  service  ever  since  he  was 
a  youth.  This  man  had  the  credit  of  saving  Decatur's  life 
before  Tripoli ;  but  he  owned  to  me  that  he  was  not  the 
person  who  did  it.  He  was  in  the  fight,  and  boarded  with 
Decatur,  but  did  not  save  his  commander's  life.  He  had 
been  often  wounded,  and  had  just  had  a  leg  amputated  for 
an  old  wound,  received  in  the  war  of  1812, 1  believe.  Liquor 
brought  him  to  that. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  night  the  Scourge  went 
down  I  received  a  severe  blow  from  her  jib-sheet  blocks.  A 
lump  soon  formed  on  the  spot  where  the  injury  had  been 
inflicted,  and  it  had  continued  to  increase  until  it  was  now 
as  large  as  my  fist,  or  even  larger.  I  showed  this  lump  to 
18 


206  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

James,  one  day,  and  he  mentioned  it  to  Dr.  Foltz,  the  sur 
geon  who  attended  the  house.  The  doctor  took  a  look  at 
my  arm,  and  recommended  an  operation,  as  the  lump  would 
continue  to  increase,  and  was  already  so  large  as  to  be  in- 
convenient.  I  cannot  say  that  it  hurt  me  any,  though  it 
was  an  awkward  sort  of  swab  to  be  carrying  on  a  fellow's 
shoulder.  I  had  no  great  relish  for  being  carved,  and  think 
I  should  have  refused  to  submit  to  the  operation,  were  it  not 
for  James,  who  told  me  he  would  not  be  carrying  Bunker 
Hill  about  on  his  arm,  and  would  show  me  his  own  stump 
by  way  of  encouragement.  This  man  seemed  to  think  an 
old  sailor  ought  to  have  a  wooden  leg,  or  something  of  the 
sort,  after  he  had  reached  a  certain  time  of  life.  At  all 
events,  he  persuaded  me  to  let  the  doctor  go  to  work,  and  I 
am  now  glad  I  did,  as  everything  turned  out  well.  Doctor 
Foltz  operated,  after  I  had  been  about  a  week  under  medi 
cine,  doing  the  job  as  neatly  as  man  could  wish.  He  told 
me  the  lump  he  removed  weighed  a  pound  and  three  quar 
ter,  and  of  course  I  was  so  much  the  lighter.  I  was  about 
a  montlv  after  this,  under  his  care,  when  he  pronounced  me 
tr.  be  sea-worthy  again. 

I  now  got  things  straight  as  regards  my  pension,  for  the 
nurt  received  on  board  the  Constellation.  It  was  no  great 
matter,  only  three  dollars  a  month,  being  one  of  the  small 
pensions;  and  the  clerks,  when  they  came  to  hear  about  the 
hurt,  for  which  Dr.  Foltz  had  operated,  advised  me  to  get 
evidence  and  procure  a  pension  for  that.  I  saw  the  Secre 
tary,  Mr.  Paulding,  on  this  subject,  and  the  gentlemen  were 
so  kind  as  to  overhaul  their  papers,  in  order  to  ascertain  who 
could  be  found  as  a  witness.  They  wrote  to  Captain  Dea 
con,  the  officer  who  commanded  the  Growler ;  but  he  knew 
nothing  of  me,  as  I  never  was  on  board  his  schooner.  This 
gentleman,  however,  wrote  me  a  letter,  himself,  inviting  me 
to  come  and  see  him,  which  I  had  it  not  in  my  power  to  do. 
I  understand  he  is  now  dead.  Mr.  Trant  had  been  dead 
many  years,  and,  as  for  Mr.  Bogardus,  I  never  knew  what 
became  of  him.  He  was  not  in  the  line  of  promotion,  and 
probably  left  the  navy  at  the  peace.  In  overhauling  the 
oooks,  however,  the  pension-clerk  came  across  the  name 
of  Lemuel  Bryant.  This  man  received  a  pension  for  the 
wound  he  got  at  Little  York,  aud  was  one  of  those  I  had 


A    LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  207 

hauled  into  the  boat  when  the  Scourge  went  down.  He  was 
Ihen  living  at  Portland,  in  Maine,  his  native  State.  Mr. 
Paulding  advised  me  to  get  his  certificate,  for  all  hands  in 
the  Department  seemed  anxious  I  should  not  go  away  with 
out  something  better  than  the  three  dollars  a  month.  I  pre 
mised  to  go  on,  and  see  Lemuel  Bryant,  and  obtain  his  tes 
timony. 

Quitting  Washington,  I  went  to  Alexandria  and  got  on 
board  a  brig,  called  the  Isabella,  bound  to  New  York,  at 
which  port  we  arrived  in  due  time.  Here  I  obtained  the 
rest  of  my  money,  and  kept  myself  pretty  steady,  more  on 
account  of  my  wounds,  I  fear,  than  anything  else.  Still  I 
drank  too  much  ;  and  by  way  of  putting  a  check  on  myself, 
I  went  to  the  Sailor's  Retreat,  Staten  Island,  and  of  course 
got  out  of  the  reach  of  liquor.  Here  I  staid  eight  or  ten 
days,  until  my  wounds  healed.  While  at  the  Retreat,  the 
last  day  I  remained  there  indeed,  which  was  a  Sunday,  the 
physician  came  in,  and  told  me  that  a  clergyman  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  of  the  name  of  Miller,  was  about 
to  have  service  down  stairs,  and  that  I  had  better  go  down 
and  be  present.  To  this  request,  not  only  civilly  but  kindly 
made,  I  answered  that  I  had  seen  enough  of  the  acts  of  re 
ligious  men  to  satisfy  me,  and  that  I  believed  a  story  I  was 
then  reading  in  a  Magazine,  would  do  me  as  much  good  as 
a  sermon.  The  physician  said  a  little  in  the  way  of  reproof 
and  admonition,  and  left  me.  As  soon  as  his  back  was 
turned,  some  of  my  companions  began  to  applaud  the  spirit 
I  had  shown,  and  the  answer  I  had  given  the  doctor.  But 
I  was  not  satisfied  with  myself.  I  had  more  secret  respect 
for  such  things  than  I  was  willing  to  own,  and  conscience 
upbraided  me  for  the  manner  in  which  I  had  slighted  so 
well-meaning  a  request.  Suddenly  telling  those  around  me 
that  my  mind  was  changed,  and  that  I  would  go  below  and 
hear  what  was  said,  I  put  this  new  resolution  in  effect  im 
mediately. 

I  had  no  recollection  of  the  text  from  which  Mr.  Miller 
preached ;  it  is  possible  I  did  not  attend  to  it,  at  the  moment 
it  was  given  out;  but,  during  the  whole  discourse,  I  fancied 
the  clergyman  was  addressing  himself  particularly  to  me, 
and  that  his  eyes  were  never  off  me.  That  he  touched  my 
conscience  I  know,  for  the  effect  produced  by  this  sprmon, 


208  MED    MYERS;    OR 

though  not  uninterruptedly  lasting,  is  remembered  to  the 
present  hour.  I  made  many  excellent  resolutions,  and  se 
cretly  resolved  to  reform,  and  to  lead  a  better  life.  My 
thoughts  were  occupied  the  whole  night  with  what  I  had 
heard,  and  my  conscience  was  keenly  active. 

The  next  morning  I  quitted  the  Retreat,  and  saw  no  more 
of  Mr.  Miller,  at  that  time ;  but  I  carried  away  with  me 
many  resolutions  that  would  have  been  very  admirable,  had 
they  only  been  adhered  to.  How  short-lived  they  were, 
and  how  completely  I  was  the  slave  of  a  vicious  habit,  will 
be  seen,  when  I  confess  that  I  landed  in  New  York  a  good 
deal  the  worse  for  having  treated  some  militia-men  who 
were  in  the  steamer,  to  nearly  a  dozen  glasses  of  hot-stuff, 
in  crossing  the  bay.  I  had  plenty  of  money,  and  a  sailor's 
disposition  to  get  rid  of  it,  carelessly,  and  what  I  thought 
generously.  It  was  Evacuation-Day,  and  severely  cold, 
and  the  hot-stuff  pleased  everybody,  on  such  an  occasion. 
Nor  was  this  all.  In  passing  Whitehall  slip,  I  saw  the 
Ohio's  first-cutter  lying  there,  and  it  happened  that  I  not 
only  knew  the  officer  of  the  boat,  who  had  been  one  of  ihe 
midshipmen  of  the  Constellation,  but  that  I  knew  mostot  its 
crew.  I  was  hailed,  of  course,  and  then  I  asked  leave  to 
treat  the  men.  The  permission  was  obtained,  and  this  se 
cond  act  of  liberality  reduced  me  to  the  necessity  of  going 
'nto  port,  under  a  pilot's  charge.  Still  I  had  not  absolutely 
lorgotten  the  sermon,  nor  all  my  good  resolutions. 

At  the  boarding-house  I  found  a  Prussian,  named  God 
frey,  a  steady,  sedate  man,  and  I  agreed  with  him  to  go  to 
Savannah,  to  engage  in  the  shad-fishery,  for  the  winter,  and 
:o  come  north  together  in  the  spring.  My  landlord  was  not 
only  ill  and  poor,  but  he  had  many  children  to  support,  and 
it  is  some  proof  that  all  my  good  resolutions  were  not  for 
gotten,  that  I  was  ready  to  go  south  before  my  money  was 
gone,  and  willing  it  should  do  some  good,  in  the  interval  of 
my  absence.  A  check  for  fifty  dollars  still  remained  un 
touched,  and  I  gave  it  to  this  man,  with  the  understanding 
he  was  to  draw  the  money,  use  it  for  his  own  wants,  and 
return  it  to  me,  if  he  could,  when  I  got  back.  The  money 
was  drawn,  but  the  man  died,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  it. 

Godfrey  and  I  were  shipped  in  a  vessel  called  th-^  William 
Taylor,  a  regular  Savannah  packet.  It  was  oui  intention 


A     LIFE     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  209 

'o  quit  her  as  soon  as  she  got  in — by  running,  if  necessary. 
We  had  a  bad  passage,  and  barely  missed  shipwreck  on 
Hatteras,  saving  the  brig  by  getting  a  sudden  view  of  tho 
ight,  in  heavy,  thick  weather.  We  got  round,  under  close- 
reefed  topsails,  and  that  was  all  we  did.  After  this,  we  had 
a  quick  run  to  Savannah.  Godfrey -had  been  taken  with 
the  small-pox  before  we  arrived,  and  was  sent  to  a  hospital 
as  soon  as  possible.  In  order  to  prevent  running,  I  feigned 
illness,  too,  and  went  to  another.  Here  the  captain  paid  me 
several  visits,  but  my  conscience  was  too  much  hardened  by 
the  practices  of  seamen,  to  let  me  hesitate  about  continuing 
to  be  ill.  The  brig  was  obliged  to  sail  without  me,  and  the 
same  day  I  got  well,  as  suddenly  as  I  had  fallen  ill. 

I  was  not  long  in  making  a  bargain  with  a  fisherman  to 
aid  in  catching  shad.  All  this  time,  I  lived  at  a  sailor  board 
ing-house,  and  was  surrounded  by  men  who,  like  myself, 
had  quitted  the  vessels  in  which  they  had  arrived.  One 
night  the  captain  of  a  ship,  called  the  Hope,  came  to  the 
house  to  look  for  a  crew.  He  was  bound  to  Rotterdam,  and 
his  ship  lay  down  at  the  second  bar,  all  ready  for  sea.  After 
some  talk,  one  man  signed  the  articles;  then  another,  and 
another,  and  another,  until  his  crew  was  complete  to  one 
man.  I  was  now  called  on  to  ship,  and  was  ridiculed  for 
wishing  to  turn  shad-man.  My  pride  was  touched,  and  I 
agreed  to  go,  leaving  my  fisherman  in  the  lurch. 

The  Hope  turned  out  to  be  a  regular  down-east  craft,  and 
I  had  been  in  so  many  flyers  and  crack  ships  as  to  be  saucy 
enough  to  laugh  at  the  economical  outfit,  and  staid  ways  of 
(he  vessel.  I  went  on  board  half  drunk,  and  made  myself 
conspicuous  for  such  sort  of  strictures  from  the  first  hour. 
The  captain  treated  me  mildly,  even  kindly ;  but  I  stuck  to 
my  remarks  during  most  of  the  passage.  I  was  a  seaman, 
and  did  my  duty ;  but  this  satisfied  me.  I  had  taken  a  dis 
gust  to  the  ship ;  and  though  I  had  never  blasphemed  since 
the  hour  of  the  accident  in  the  way  I  did  the  day  the  Susan 
and.  Mary  was  thrown  on  her  beam-ends,  I  may  be  said  to 
have  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the  Hope,  grumbling  and  swear 
ing  at  the  ship.  Still,  our  living  and  our  treatment  were 
both  good. 

At  Rotterdam,  we  got  a  little  money,  with  liberty.    When 
he  last  was  up  I  asked  for  more,  and  the  captain  refused  it. 
18* 


210  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

This  brought  on  an  explosion,  and  I  swore  I  would  quit  the 
ship.  After  a  time,  the  captain  consented,  as  well  as  ho 
could,  leaving  my  wages  on  the  cabin-table,  where  I  found 
them,  and  telling  me  I  should  repent  of  what  I  was  then 
doing.  Little  did  I  then  think  he  would  prove  so  true  a 
prophet. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

I  HAD  left  the  Hope  in  a  fit  of  the  sulks.  The  vessel 
never  pleased  me,  and  yet  I  can  now  look  back,  and  ac- 
Knowledge  that  both  her  master  and  her  mate  were  respect 
able,  considerate  men,  who  had  my  own  good  in  view  more 
than  I  had  myself.  There  was  an  American  ship,  called 
the  Plato,  in  port,  and  I  had  half  a  mind  to  try  my  luck  in 
her.  The  master  of  this  vessel  was  said  to  be  a  tartar, 
however,  and  a  set  of  us  had  doubts  about  the  expediency 
of  trusting  ourselves  with  such  a  commander.  When  we 
came  to  sound  around  him,  we  discovered  he  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  us,  as  he  intended  to  get  a  crew  of  regu 
lar  Dutchmen.  This  ship  had  just  arrived  from  Batavia, 
and  was  bound  to  New  York.  How  he  did  this  legally,  or 
whether  he  did  it  at  all,  is  more  than  I  know,  for  I  only  tell 
what  I  was  told  myself,  on  this  subject. 

There  was  a  heavy  Dutch  Indiaman,  then  fitting  out  for 
Java,  lying  at  Rotterdam.  The  name  of  this  vessel  was 
the  Stadtdeel — so  pronounced  ;  how  spelt,  I  have  no  idea — 
and  I  began  to  think  I  would  try  a  voyage  in  her.  As  is 
common  with  those  who  have  great  reason  to  find  fault 
with  themselves,  I  was  angry  with  the  whole  world.  I 
began  to  think  myself  a  sort  of  outcast,  forgetting  that  I 
had  deserted  my  natural  relatives,  run  from  my  master,  and 
thrown  off  many  friends  who  were  disposed  to  serve  me  in 
everything  in  which  I  could  be  served.  I  have  a  cheerful 
temperament  by  nature,  and  I  make  no  doubt  that  the  som- 
bro  view  I  now  began  to  take  of  things,  was  tho  effects  o« 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MHfcT.  211 

drink.  It  was  necessary  for  me  to  get  to  sea,  for  there  I 
was  shut  out  from  all  excesses,  by  discipline  and  necessity. 

After  looking  around  us,  and  debating  the  matter  among 
ourselves,  a  party  of  five  of  us  shipped  in  the  Stadtdeel. 
What  the  others  contemplated  I  do  not  know,  but  it  was 
my  intention  to  double  Good  Hope,  and  never  to  return. 
Chances  enough  would  offer  on  the  other  side,  to  make  a 
man  comfortable,  and  I  was  no  stranger  o  the  ways  of  that 
quarter  of  the  world.  I  could  find  enough  to  do  between 
Bombay  and  Canton ;  and,  if  I  could  not,  there  were  tho 
islands  and  all  of  the  Pacific  before  me.  I  could  do 
a  seaman's  whole  duty,  was  now  in  tolerable  health  and 
strength,  and  knew  that  such  men  were  always  wanted. 
Wherever  a  ship  goes,  Jack  must  go  with  her,  and  ships, 
dollars  and  hogs,  are  now  to  be  met  with  all  over  the  globe. 

The  Stadtdeel  lay  at  Dort,  and  we  went  to  that  place  to 
join  her.  She  was  not  ready  for  sea,  and  as  things  moved 
Dutchman  fashion,  slow  and  sure,  we  were  afyout  six  weeks 
at  Dort  before  she  sailed.  This  ship  was  a  vessel  of  the 
size  of  a  frigate,  and  carried  twelve  guns.  She  had  a  crew 
of  about  forty  souls,  which  was  being  very  short-handed. 
The  ship's  company  was  a  strange  mixture  of  seamen, 
though  most  of  them  came  from  the  north  of  Europe. 
Among  us  were  Russians,  Danes,  Swedes,  Prussians,  Eng 
lish,  Americans,  and  but  a  very  few  Dutch.  One  of  the 
mates,  and  two  of  the  petty  officers,  could  speak  a  little 
English.  This  made  us  eight  who  could  converse  in  that 
language.  We  had  to  learn  Dutch  as  well  as  we  could, 
and  made  out  tolerably  well.  Before  the  ship  sailed,  I 
could  understand  the  common  orders,  without  much  difficul 
ty.  Indeed,  the  language  is  nothing  but  English  a  little 
flattened  down. 

So  bng  as  we  remained  at  Dort,  the  treatment  on  board 
this  vessel  was  well  enough.  We  were  never  well  fed, 
though  we  got  enough  food,  such  as  it  was.  The  work 
was  hard,  and  the  weather  cold  ;  but  these  did  not  frighten 
me.  The  wages  .were  eight  dollars  a  month  ; — I  had  aban 
doned  eighteen,  and  an  American  ship,  for  this  preferment ! 
A.  wayward  temper  had  done  me  this  service. 

The  Stadtdeel  no  sooner  got  into  the  stream,  than  there 
was  a  great  change  in  the  treatment.  We  were  put  on  an 


212  NED   MYERS;   OR, 

allowance  of  food  and  water,  in  sight  of  our  place  of  depar 
lure;  and  the  rope's-end  began  to  fly  round  among  the  crew 
we  five  excepted.     For  some  reason,  that  I  cannot  explain, 
neither  of  us  was  ever  struck.     We  got  plenty  of  curses, 
in  Low  Dutch,  as  we  supposed ;  and  we  gave  them  back, 
with  interest,  in  high  English.     The  expression  of  our  faces 
let  the  parties  into  the  secret  of  what  was  going  on. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  we  English  and  Ame 
ricans  soon  repented  of  the  step  we  had  taken.  I  heartily 
wished  myself  on  board  the  Hope,  again,  and  the  master's 
prophecy  became  true,  much  sooner,  perhaps,  than  he  had 
himself  anticipated.  This  time,  I  conceive  that  my  disgust 
was  fully  justified  ;  though  I  deserved  the  punishment  1  was 
receiving,  for  entering  so  blindly  into  a  service  every  way 
so  inferior  to  that  to  which  I  properly  belonged.  The 
bread  in  this  ship  was  wholesome,  I  do  suppose,  but  it  was 
nearly  black,  and  such  as  I  was  altogether  unused  to.  Infe 
rior  as  it  was,  we  got  but  five  pounds,  each,  per  week.  In 
our  navy,  a  man  gets,  per  week,  seven  pounds  of  such  bread 
as  might  be  put  on  a  gentleman's  table.  The  meat  was  little 
better  than  the  bread  in  quality,  and  quite  as  scant  in  quan 
tity.  We  got  one  good  dish  in  the  Stadtdeel,  and  that  we 
got  every  morning.  It  was  a  dish  of  boiled  barley,  of  which 
I  became  very  fond,  and  which,  indeed,  supplied  me  with 
the  strength  necessary  for  my  duty.  It  was  one  of  the  best 
dishes  I  ever  fell  in  with  at  sea;  and  I  think  it  might  be  intro 
duced,  to  advantage,  in  our  service.  Good  food  produces 
good  work. 

As  all  our  movements  were  of  the  slow  and  easy  order, 
the  ship  lay  three  weeks  at  the  Helvoetsluys,  waiting  for  pas 
sengers.  During  this  time,  our  party,  three  English  arid 
two  Americans,  came  to  a  determination  to  abandon  the  ship 
Our  plan  was  to  seize  a  boat,  as  we  passed  down  channel 
and  get  ashore  in  England.  We  were  willing  to  run  all  the 
risks  of  such  a  step,  in  preference  of  going  so  long  a  voy 
age  under  such  treatment  and  food.  By  this  time,  our  dis 
content  amounted  to  disgust. 

At  length  we  got  all  our  passengers  *on  board.  These 
consisted  of  a  family,  of  which  the  head  was  said  to  be,  or 
to  have  been,  an  admiral  in  the  Dutch  navy.  This  gentle 
man  was  going  to  Java  to  remain ;  and  he  took  with  him 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  213 

his  wife,  several  children,  servants,  and  a  lady,  who  seemed 
to  be  a  companion  to  his  wife.  As  soon  as  this  party  was 
on  board,  the  wind  coming  fair,  we  sailed.  The  Plato  went 
to  sea  in  company  with  us,  and  little  did  I  then  think,  while 
wishing  myself  on  board  her,  how  soon  I  should  be  thrown 
into  this  very  ship — the  last  craft  in  which  I  ever  was  at  sea. 
I  was  heaving  the  lead  as  we  passed  her ;  our  ship,  Dutch 
man  or  not,  having  a  fleet  pair  of  heels.  The  Stadtdeel, 
whatever  might  be  her  usage,  or  her  food,  sailed  and  worked 
well,  and  was  capitally  found  in  everything  that  related  to 
the  safety  of  the  vessel.  This  was  her  first  voyage,  and 
she  was  said  to  be  the  largest  ship  out  of  Rotterdam. 

The  Stadtdeel  must  have  sailed  from  Helvoetsluys  in  May, 
1839,  or  about  thirty-three  years  after  I  sailed  from  New 
York,  on  my  first  voyage,  in  the  Sterling.  During  all  this 
time  I  had  been  toiling  at  sea,  like  a  dog,  risking  my  health 
and  life,  in  a  variety  of  ways  ;  and  this  ship,  with  my  station 
on  board  her,  was  nearly  all  I  had  to  show  for  it !  God  be 
praised !  This  voyage,  which  promised  so  little,  in  its  com 
mencement,  proved,  in  the  end,  the  most  fortunate  of  any  in 
which  I  embarked, 

There  was  no  opportunity  for  us  to  put  our  plans  in  exe 
cution,  in  going  down  channel.  The  wind  was  fair,  and  it 
blew  so  fresh,  it  would  not  have  been  easy  to  get  a  boat  into 
the  water;  and  we  passed  the  Straits  of  Dover,  by  day-light, 
the  very  day  we  sailed.  The  wind  held  in  the  same  quar 
ter,  until  we  reached  the  north-east  trades,  giving  us  a  quick 
run  as  low  down  as  the  calm  latitudes.  All  this  time,  the 
treatment  was  as  bad  as  ever,  or,  if  anything,  worse ;  and 
our  discontent  increased  daily.  There  were  but  one  or  two 
native  Hollanders  in  the  forecastle,  boys  excepted ;  but 
among  them  was  a  man  who  had  shipped  as  an  ordinary 
seaman.  He  had  been  a  soldier,  I  believe ;  at  all  events,  he 
had  a  medal,  received  in  consequence  of  having  been  in  one 
of  the  late  affairs  between  his  country  and  Belgium.  It  is 
probable  this  man  may  not  have  been  very  expert  in  a  sea 
man's  duty,  and  it  is  possible  he  may  have  been  drinking, 
though  to  me  he  appeared  sober,  at  the  time  the  thing  oc- 
urred  which  I  am  about  to  relate.  One  day  the  captain  fell 
foul  of  him,  and  beat  him  with  a  rope  severely.  The  ladies 
•ntorfered,  and  got  the  poor  fellow  out  of  the  scrape ;  tho 


214  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

captain  letting  him  go,  and  telling  him  to  go  forward.  As 
the  man  complied,  he  fell  in  with  the  chief  mate,  who  at 
tacked  him  afresh,  and  beat  him  very  severely.  The  man 
now  went  below,  and  was  about  to  turn  in,  as  the  captain 
had  ordered, — which  renders  it  probable  he  had  been  drink- 
ing, — when  the  second  mate,  possibly  ignorant  of  what  had 
occurred,  missing  him  from  his  duty,  went  below,  and  beat 
him  up  on  deck  again.  These  different  assaults  seem  to 
have  made  the  poor  fellow  desperate.  He  ran  and  jumped 
into  the  sea,  just  forward  of  the  starboard  lower-studding- 
sail-boom.  The  ship  was  then  in  the  north-east  trades,  and 
had  eight  or  nine  knots  way  on  her ;  notwithstanding,  she 
was  rounded  to,  and  a  boat  was  lowered — but  the  man  was 
never  found.  There  is  something  appalling  in  seeing  a  fel 
low-creature  driven  to  such  acts  of  madness ;  and  the  effect 
produced  on  all  of  us,  by  what  we  witnessed,  was  profound 
and  sombre. 

I  shall  not  pretend  to  say  that  this  man  did  not  deserve 
chastisement,  or  that  the  two  mates  were  not  ignorant  of 
what  had  happened ;  but  brutal  treatment  was  so  much  in 
use  on  board  this  ship,  that  the  occurrence  made  us  five 
nearly  desperate.  I  make  no  doubt  a  crew  of  Americans, 
•who  were  thus  treated,  would  have  secured  the  officers,  and 
brought  the  ship  in.  It  is  true,  that  flogging  seems  neces 
sary  to  some  natures,  and  I  will  not  say  that  such  a  crew 
as  ours  could  very  well  get  along  without  it.  But  we  might 
sometimes  be  treated  as  men,  and  no  harm  follow. 

As  I  have  said,  the  loss  of  this  man  produced  a  great 
impression  in  the  ship,  generally.  The  passengers  appeared 
much  affected  by  it,  and  I  thought  the  captain,  in  particular, 
regretted  it  greatly.  He  might  not  have  been  in  the  least  to 
blame,  for  the  chastisement  he  inflicted  was  such  as  masters 
of  ships  often  bestow  on  their  men,  but  the  crew  felt  very 
indignant  against  the  mates ;  one  of  whom  was  particularly 
obnoxious  to  us  all.  As  for  my  party,  we  now  began  to 
plot,  again,  in  order  to  get  quit  of  the  ship.  After  a  great 
deal  of  discussion,  we  came  to  the  following  resolution  : 

About  a  dozen  of  us  entered  into  the  conspiracy.  We 
contemplated  no  piracy,  no  act  of  violence,  that  should  not 
bo  rendered  necessary  in  self-defence,  nor  any  robbery 
beyond  what  we  conceived  indispensable  to  our  object.  As 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  215 

the  ship  passed  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  we  intended  to  lower 
as  many  boats  as  should  be  necessary,  arm  ourselves,  place 
provisions  and  water  in  the  boats,  and  abandon  the  ship. 
We  felt  confident  that  if  most  of  the  men  did  not  go  with  us, 
they  would  not  oppose  us.  I  can  now  see  that  this  was  a 
desperate  and  unjustifiable  scheme ;  but,  for  myself,  I  was 
getting  desperate  on  board  the  ship,  and  preferred  risking 
my  lite  to  remaining.  I  will  not  deny  that  I  was  a  ring 
leader  in  this  affair,  though  I  know  I  had  no  other  motive 
than  escape.  This  was  a  clear  case  of  mutiny,  and  the  only 
one  in  which  I  was  ever  implicated.  I  have  a  thousand 
times  seen  reason  to  rejoice  that  the  attempt  was  never 
made,  since,  so  deep  was  the  hostility  of  the  crew  to  the 
officers, — the  mates,  in  particular, — that  I  feel  persuaded  a 
horrible  scene  of  bloodshed  must  have  followed.  I  did  not 
think  of  this  at  the  time,  making  sure  of  getting  off  un re 
sisted  ;  but,  if  we  had,  what  would  have  been  the  fate  of  a 
parcel  of  seamen  who  came  into  an  English  port  in  ship's 
boats  ]  Tried  for  piracy,  probably,  and  the  execution  of 
some,  if  not  all  of  us. 

The  ship  had  passed  the  island  of  St.  Pauls,  and  v-e  were 
impatiently  waiting  for  her  entrance  into  the  S'  raits  of 
Sunda,  when  an  accident  occurred  that  put  a  s  jp  to  the 
contemplated  mutiny,  and  changed  the  whole  current,  as  I 
devoutly  hope,  of  all  my  subsequent  life.  At  t'.e  calling  of 
the  middle  watch,  one  stormy  night,  the  ship  being  under 
close-reefed  topsails  at  the  time,  with  the  mainsail  furled,  I 
went  on  deck  as  usual,  to  my  duty.  In  stepping  across  the 
deck,  between  the  launch  and  the  galley,  I  had  to  cross 
some  spars  that  were  lashed  there.  While  on  the  pile  of 
spars,  the  ship  lurched  suddenly,  and  I  lost  my  balance, 
falling  my  whole  length  on  deck,  upon  my  left  side.  No 
thing  broke  the  fall,  my  arms  being  raised  to  seize  a  hold 
above  my  head,  and  I  came  down  upon  deck  with  my  en 
tire  weight,  the  hip  taking  the  principal  force  of  the  fall. 
The  anguish  I  suffered  was  acute,  and  it  was  some  time  be 
fore  I  would  allow  my  shipmates  even  to  touch  me. 

After  a  time,  I  was  carried  down  into  the  steerage,  where 
it  was  found  necessary  to  sling  me  on  a  grating,  instead  of 
a  hammock.  We  had  a  doctor  on  board,  but  he  could  do 
nothing  for  me.  My  clothes  could  not  be  taken  off,  and 


5216  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

tnere  I  lay  wet,  and  suffering  to  a  degree  that  I  should  find 
difficult  to  describe,  hours  and  hours. 

I  was  now  really  on  the  stool  of  repentance.  In  body,  1 
was  perfectly  helpless,  though  my  mind  seemed  more  active 
than  it  had  ever  been  before.  I  overhauled  my  whole  life, 
beginning  with  the  hour  when  I  first  got  drunk,  as  a  boy, 
on  board  the  Sterling,  and  underrunning  every  scrape  I  have 
mentioned  in  this  sketch  of  my  life,  with  many  of  which  I 
have  not  spoken ;  and  all  with  a  fidelity  and  truth  that 
satisfy  me  that  man  can  keep  no  log-book  that  is  as  accu 
rate  as  his  own  conscience.  I  saw  that  I  had  been  my  own 
worst  enemy,  and  how  many  excellent  opportunities  of  get 
ting  ahead  in  the  world,  I  had  wantonly  disregarded.  Li 
quor  lay  at  the  root  of  all  my  calamities  and  misconduct, 
enticing  me  into  bad  company,  undermining  my  health  and 
strength,  and  blasting  my  hopes.  I  tried  to  pray,  but  did 
not  know  how ;  and,  it  appeared  to  me,  as  if  I  were  lost, 
body  and  soul,  without  a  hope  of  mercy. 

My  shipmates  visited  me  by  stealth,  and  I  pointed  out  to 
them,  as  clearly  as  in  my  power,  the  folly,  as  well  as  the 
wickedness,  of  our  contemplated  mutiny.  I  told  them  we 
had  come  on  board  the  ship  voluntarily,  and  we  had  no 
right  to  be  judges  in  our  own  case ;  that  we  should  have 
done  a  cruel  thing  in  deserting  a  ship  at  sea,  with  women 
and  children  on  board ;  that  the  Malays  would  probably 
have  cut  our  throats,  and  the  vessel  herself  would  have  been 
very  apt  to  be  wrecked.  Of  all  this  mischief,  we  should 
have  been  the  fathers,  and  we  had  every  reason  to  be 
grateful  that  our  project  was  defeated.  The  men  listened 
attentively,  and  promised  to  abandon  every  thought  of  ex 
ecuting  the  revolt.  They  were  as  good  as  their  words,  and 
I  heard  no  more  of  the  matter. 

As  for  my  hurt,  it  was  not  easy  to  say  what  it  was.  The 
doctor  was  kind  to  me,  but  he  could  do  no  more  than  give 
me  food  and  little  indulgencies.  As  for  the  captain,  I  think 
he  was  influenced  by  the  mate,  who  appeared  to  believe  I 
was  feigning  an  injury  much  greater  than  I  had  actually 
received.  On  board  the  ship,  there  was  a  boy,  of  good 
parentage,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  commence  his  career 
at  sea.  He  lived  aft,  and  was  a  sort  of  genteel  cabin-boy 
He  could  not  have  been  more  than  ten  or  eleven  years  old 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THB     MAST.  217 

but  he  proved  to  be  a  ministering  angel  to  me.  He  brought 
me  delicacies,  sympathised  with  me,  and  many  a  time  did 
we  shed  tears  in  company.  The  ladies  and  the  admiral's 
children  sometimes  came  to  see  me,  too,  manifesting  much 
sorrow  for  my  situation  ;  and  then  it  was  that  my  conscience 
pricked  the  deepest,  for  the  injury,  or  risks,  I  had  contem 
plated  exposing  them  to.  Altogether,  the  scenes  I  saw  daily, 
and  my  own  situation,  softened  my  heart,  and  I  began  to 
get  views  of  my  moral  deformity  that  were  of  a  healthful 
and  safe  character. 

I  lay  on  that  grating  two  months,  and  bitter  months  they 
were  to  me.  The  ship  had  arrived  at  Batavia,  and  the  cap 
tain  and  mate  came  to  see  what  was  to  be  done  with  me.  I 
asked  to  be  sent  to  the  hospital,  but  the  mate  insisted  nothing 
was  the  matter  with  me,  and  asked  to  have  me  kept  in  the 
ship.  This  was  done,  and  I  went  round  to  Terragall  in  her, 
where  we  landed  our  passengers.  These  last  all  came  and 
took  leave  of  me,  the  admiral  making  me  a  present  of  a 
good  jacket,  that  he  had  worn  himself  at  sea,  with  a  quan 
tity  of  tobacco.  I  have  got  that  jacket  at  this  moment.  The 
ladies  spoke  kindly  to  me,  and  all  this  gave  my  heart  fresh 
pangs. 

From  Terragall  we  went  to  Sourabaya,  where  I  prevailed 
on  the  captain  to  send  me  to  the  hospital,  the  mate  still  in 
sisting  I  was  merely  shamming  inability  to  work.  The 
surgeons  at  Sourabaya,  one  of  whom  was  a  Scotchman, 
thought  with  the  mate  ;  and  at  the  end  of  twenty  days,  I  was 
again  taken  on  board  the  ship,  which  sailed  for  Samarang. 
While  at  Sourabaya  there  were  five  English  sailors  in  the 
hospital.  These  men  were  as  forlorn  and  miserable  as  my 
self,  death  grinning  in  our  faces  at  every  turn.  The  men 
who  were  brought  into  the  hospital  one  day,  were  often  dead 
ihe  next,  and  none  of  us  knew  whose  turn  would  come  next 
We  often  talked  together,  on  religious  subjects,  after  our 
own  uninstructed  manner,  and  greatly  did  we  long  to  find 
an  English  bible,  a  thing  not  to  be  had  there.  Then  it  was 
I  thought,  again,  of  the  sermon  I  had  heard  at  the  Sailors' 
Retreat,  of  the  forfeited  promises  I  had  made  to  reform ;  and, 
more  than  once  did  it  cross  my  mind,  should  God  permit 
me  to  return  home,  that  I  would  seek  out  that  minister,  and 
ask  his  prayers  and  spiritual  advice. 
19 


218  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

On  our  arrival  at  Samarang,  the  mate  got  a  doctor  from 
a  Dutch  frigate,  to  look  at  me,  who  declared  nothing  ailed 
me.  By  these  means  nearly  all  hands  in  the  ship  were 
set  against  me,  but  my  four  companions,  and  the  little  boy  • 
fancying  that  I  was  a  skulk,  and  throwing  labour  on  them. 
I  was  ordered  on  deck,  and  set  to  work  graffing  ring-bolts 
for  the  guns.  Walk  I  could  not,  being  obliged,  literally,  to 
crawl  along  the  deck  on  my  hands  and  knees.  I  suffered 
great  pain,  but  got  no  credit  for  it.  The  work  was  easy 
enough  for  me,  when  once  seated  at  it,  but  it  caused  me  infi 
nite  suffering  to  move.  I  was  not  alone  in  being  thought  a 
skulk,  however.  The  doctor  himself  was  taken  ill,  and  the 
mate  accused  him,  too,  very  much  as  he  did  me,  of  shirking 
duty.  Unfortunately,  the  poor  man  gave  him  the  lie,  by 
dying. 

I  was  kept  at  the  sort  of  duty  I  have  mentioned  until  the 
ship  reached  Batavia  again.  Here  a  doctor  came  on  board 
from  another  ship,  on  a  visit,  and  my  case  was  mentioned. 
The  mate  ordered  me  aft,  and  I  crawled  upon  the  quarter 
deck  to  be  examined.  They  got  me  into  the  cabin,  where 
the  strange  doctor  looked  at  me.  This  man  said  I  must  be 
operated  on  by  a  burning  process,  all  of  which  was  said  to 
frighten  me  to  duty.  After  this  I  got  down  into  the  fore 
castle,  and  positively  refused  to  do  anything  more.  There 
I  lay,  abused  and  neglected  by  all  but  my  four  friends.  I 
told  the  mate  I  suffered  too  much  to  work,  and  that  I  must 
be  put  ashore.  Suffering  had  made  me  desperate,  and  I 
cared  not  for  the  consequences. 

Fortunately  for  me,  there  were  two  cases  of  fever  and  ague 
in  the  ship.  Our  own  doctor  being  dead,  that  of  the  admiral's 
ship  was  sent  for  to  visit  the  sick.  The  mate  seemed 
anxious  to  get  evidence  against  me,  and  he  asked  the  admi 
ral's  surgeon  to  come  down  and  see  me.  The  moment  this 
gentleman  laid  eyes  on  me,  he  raised  both  arms,  and  ex 
claimed  that  they  were  killing  me.  He  saw,  at  once,  that 
I  was  no  impostor,  and  stated  as  much  in  pretty  plain  lan 
guage,  so  far  as  I  could  understand  what  he  said.  The 
mate  appeared  to  be  struck  with  shame  and  contrition  ;  and 
I  do  believe  that  every  one  on  board  was  sorry  for  the  treat 
ment  I  had  received.  I  took  occasion  to  remonstrate  with 
tho  mate,  and  to  tell  him  of  the  necessity  of  my  being  sent 


A     1,1  FE    BEFORE    THE     MAST.  219 

.'immediately  to  the  hospital.  The  man  promised  to  repre 
sent  my  case  to  the  captain,  and  the  next  day  I  was  landed. 

My  two  great  desires  were  to  get  to  the  hospital  and  to 
procure  a  bible.  I  did  not  expect  to  live ;  one  of  my  legs 
being  shrivelled  to  half  its  former  size,  and  was  apparently 
growing  worse ;  and  could  I  find  repose  for  my  body  and 
relief  for  my  soul,  I  felt  that  I  could  be  happy.  I  had  heard 
my  American  ship-mate,  who  was  a  New  Yorker,  a  Hudson 
river  man,  say  he  had  a  bible ;  but  I  had  never  seen  it.  It 
lay  untouched  in  the  bottom  of  his  chest,  sailor-fashion.  I 
offered  this  man  a  shirt  for  his  bible ;  but  he  declined  tak 
ing  any  pay,  cheerfully  giving  me  the  book.  I  forced  the 
shirt  on  him,  however,  as  a  sort  of  memorial  of  me.  Now 
I  was  provided  with  the  book,  I  could  not  read  for  want  of 
spectacles.  I  had  reached  a  time  of  life  when  the  sight  be 
gins  to  fail,  and  I  think  my  eyes  were  injured  in  Florida. 
In  Sourayaba  hospital  I  had  raised  a  few  rupees  by  the  sale 
of  a  black  silk  handkerchief,  and  wanted  now  to  procure  a 
pair  of  spectacles.  I  sold  a  pair  of  boots,  and  adding  the 
little  sum  thus  raised  to  that  which  I  had  already,  I  felt  my 
self  rich  and  happy,  in  the  prospect  of  being  able  to  study 
the  word  of  God.  On  quitting  the  ship,  everybody,  for 
ward  and  aft,  shook  hands  with  me,  the  opinion  of  the  man- 
of-war  surgeon  suddenly  changing  all  their  opinions  of  me 
and  my  conduct. 

The  captain  appeared  to  regret  the  course  things  had 
taken,  and  was  willing  to  do  all  he  could  to  make  me  com 
fortable.  My  wages  were  left  in  a  merchant's  hands,  and  I 
was  to  receive  them  could  I  quit  this  island,  or  get  out  of 
the  hospital.  I  was  to  be  sent  to  Holland,  in  the  latter  case, 
and  everything  was  to  be  done  according  to  law  and  right. 
The  reader  is  not  to  imagine  I  considered  myself  a  suffering 
saint  all  this  time.  On  the  contrary,  while  I  was  thought 
an  impostor,  I  remembered  that  I  had  shammed  sickness  in 
this  very  island,  and,  as  I  entered  the  hospital,  I  could  not 
forget  the  circumstances  under  which  I  had  been  its  tenant 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  before.  Then  I  was  in  the  pride 
of  my  youth  and  strength ;  and,  now,  as  if  in  punishment 
for  the  deception,  I  was  berthed,  a  miserable  cripple,  within 
half-a-dozen  beds  of  that  on  which  I  was  berthed  when  feign 
ing  an  illness  I  did  not  really  suTer.  Under  such  circum- 


220  NED   MYERS;    OR, 

stances,  conscience  is  pretty  certain  to  remind  a  sinner  of 
his  misdeeds. 

The  physician  of  the  hospital  put  me  on  very  low  diet 
and  gave  me  an  ointment  to  "  smear"  myself  with,  as  he 
called  it ;  and  I  was  ordered  to  remain  in  my  berth.  By 
means  of  one  of  the  coolies  of  the  hospital,  I  got  a  pair  of 
spectacles  from  the  town,  and  such  a  pair,  as  to  size  ana 
form,  that  people  in  America  regard  what  is  left  of  them  as 
a  curiosity.  They  served  my  purpose,  however,  and  enabled 
me  to  read  the  precious  book  1  had  obtained  from  my  north- 
river  shipmate.  This  book  was  a  copy  from  the  American 
Bible  Society's  printing-office,  and  if  no  other  of  their  works 
did  good,  this  must  be  taken  for  an  exception.  It  has  since 
been  placed  in  the  Society's  Library,  in  memory  of  the  good 
it  has  done. 

My  sole  occupation  was  reading  and  reflecting.  There  I 
lay,  in  a  distant  island,  surrounded  by  disease,  death  daily, 
nay  hourly  making  his  appearance,  among  men  whose  lan 
guage  was  mostly  unknown  to  me.  It  was  several  weeks 
before  I  was  allowed  even  to  quit  my  bunk.  I  had  begun 
to  pray  before  I  left  the  ship,  and  this  practice  I  continued, 
almost  hourly,  until  I  was  permitted  to  rise.  A  converted 
Lascar  was  in  the  hospital,  and  seeing  my  occupation,  ho 
came  and  conversed  with  me,  in  his  broken  English.  This 
man  gave  me  a  hymn-book,  and  one  of  the  first  hymns  I 
read  in  it  afforded  me  great  consolation.  It  was  written  by 
a  man  who  had  been  a  sailor  like  myself,  and  one  who  had 
been  almost  as  wicked  as  myself,  but  who  has  since  done  a 
vast  deal  of  good,  by  means  of  precept  and  example.  This 
hymn-book  I  now  read  in  common  with  my  bible.  But  I 
cannot  express  the  delight  I  felt  at  a  copy  of  Pilgrim's  Pro 
gress  which  this  same  Lascar  gave  me.  That  book  I  con 
sider  as  second  only  to  the  bible.  It  enabled  me  to  under 
stand  and  to  apply  a  vast  deal  that  I  found  in  the  word  of 
God,  and  set  before  my  eyes  so  many  motives  for  hope,  that 
I  began  to  feel  Christ  had  died  for  me,  as  well  as  for  the  rest 
of  the  species.  I  thought  if  the  thief  on  the  cross  could  be 
saved,  even  one  as  wicked  as  I  had  been  had  only  to  repent 
and  believe,  to  share  in  the  Redeemer's  mercy.  All  this 
time  I  fairly  pined  for  religious  instruction,  and  my  thoughts 
would  constantly  recur  to  the  sermon  I  had  heard  at  the 


A     LIFE      BEFORE      THE     MAST.  221 

Sailor's  Retreat,  and  to  the  clergyman  who  had  preach 
ed  it. 

There  was  an  American  carpenter  in  the  Fever  Hospital, 
who,  hearing  of  my  state,  gave  me  some  tracts  that  he  had 
brought  from  home  with  him.  This  man  was  not  pious, 
but  circumstances  had  made  him  serious ;  and,  being  about 
to  quit  the  place,  he  was  willing  to  administer  to  my  wants 
He  told  me  there  were  several  Englishmen  and  one  Ameri 
can  in  his  hospital,  who  wanted  religious  consolation  greatly, 
and  he  advised  me  to  crawl  over  and  see  them ;  which  I  did, 
as  soon  as  it  was  in  my  power. 

At  first,  I  thought  myself  too  wicked  to  offer  to  pray  and 
converse  with  these  men,  but  my  conscience  would  not  let 
me  rest  until  I  did  so.  It  appeared  to  me  as  if  the  bible  had 
been  placed  in  my  way,  as  much  for  their  use  as  my  own, 
and  I  could  not  rest  until  I  had  offered  them  all  the  consola 
tion  it  was  in  my  power  to  bestow.  I  read  with  these  men 
for  two  or  three  weeks ;  Chapman,  the  American,  being  the 
man  who  considered  his  own  moral  condition  the  most  hope 
less.  When  unable  to  go  myself,  I  would  send  my  books, 
and  we  had  the  bible  and  Pilgrim's  Progress,  watch  and 
watch,  between  us. 

All  this  time  we  were  living,  as  it  might  be,  on  a  bloody 
battle-field.  Men  died  in  scores  around  us,  and  at  the  shortest 
notice.  Batavia,  at  that  season,  was  the  most  sickly ;  and, 
although  the  town  was  by  no  means  as  dangerous  then  as 
it  had  been  in  my  former  visit,  it  was  still  a  sort  of  Gol 
gotha,  or  place  of  skulls.  More  than  half  who  entered  tho 
Fever  Hospital,  left  it  only  as  corpses. 

Among  my  English  associates,  as  I  call  them,  was  a 
young  Scotchman,  of  about  five-and-twenty.  This  man 
had  been  present  at  most  of  our  readings  and  conversations, 
though  he  did  not  appear  to  me  as  much  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  caring  for  his  soul,  as  some  of  the  others. 
One  day  he  came  to  take  leave  of  me.  He  was  to  quit  the 
hospital  the  following  morning.  I  spoke  to  him  concerning 
his  future  life,  and  endeavoured  to  awaken  in  him  some  feel 
ings  that  might  be  permanent.  He  listened  with  proper 
respect,  but  his  answers  were  painfully  inconsiderate,  though 
I  do  believe  he  reasoned  as  nine  in  ten  of  mankind  reason, 
tfhen  they  think  at  all  on  such  subjects.  "  What's  the  use 
19* 


222  NED     MYfiRS;     OR, 

of  my  giving  up  so  soon,"  he  said ;  "  I  am  young,  and 
strong,  and  in  good  health,  and  have  plenty  of  sea-room  to 
leeward  of  me,  and  can  fetch  up  when  there  is  occasion  for 
it.  If  a  fellow  don't  live  while  he  can,  he'll  never  live."  I 
read  to  him  the  parable  of  the  wise  and  foolish  virgins,  but 
he  left  me  holding  the  same  opinion,  to  the  last. 

Directly  in  front  of  my  ward  was  the  dead-house  Thither 
all  the  bodies  of  those  who  died  in  the  hospital  were  regu 
larly  carried  for  dissection.  Scarcely  one  escaped  being 
subjected  to  the  knife.  This  dead-house  stood  some  eighty, 
or  a  hundred,  yards  from  the  hospital,  and  between  them 
was  an  area,  containing  a  few  large  trees.  I  was  in  the 
habit,  after  I  got  well  enough  to  go  out,  to  hobble  to  one  of 
these  trees,  where  I  would  sit  for  hours,  reading  and  medi 
tating.  It  was  a  good  place  to  make  a  man  reflect  on  the 
insignificance  of  worldly  things,  disease  and  death  being  all 
around  him.  I  frequently  saw  six  or  eight  bodies  carried 
across  this  area,  while  sitting  in  it,  and  many  were  taken 
to  the  dead-house,  at  night.  Hundreds,  if  not  thousands, 
were  in  the  hospital,  and  a  large  proportion  died. 

The  morning  of  the  day  but  one,  after  I  had  taken  leave 
of  the  young  Scotchman,  I  was  sitting  under  a  tree,  as 
usual,  when  I  saw  some  coolies  carrying  a  dead  body  across 
the  area.  They  passed  quite  near  me,  and  one  of  the  coolies 
gave  me  to  understand  it  was  that  of  this  very  youth  !  He 
had  been  seized  with  the  fever,  a  short  time  after  he  left  me, 
and  here  was  a  sudden  termination  to  all  his  plans  of  enjoy 
ment  and  his  hopes  of  life  ;  his  schemes  of  future  repentance. 

Such  things  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  that  island,  but 
this  event  made  a  very  deep  impression  on  me.  It  helped 
to  strengthen  me  in  my  own  resolutions,  and  I  used  it,  I 
hope,  with  effect,  with  my  companions  whose  lives  were 
still  spared. 

All  the  Englishmen  got  well,  and  were  discharged.  Chap 
man,  the  American,  however,  remained,  being  exceedingly 
feeble  with  the  disease  of  the  country.  With  this  poor 
young  man,  I  prayed,  as  well  as  I  knew  how,  and  read, 
daily,  to  his  great  comfort  and  consolation,  I  believe.  The 
reader  may  imagine  how  one  dying  in  a  strange  land,  sur 
rounded  by  idolaters,  would  lean  on  a  single  countryman 
vho  was  disposed  to  aid  him.  In  this  manner  did  Chap 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  223 

man  lean  on  me,  and  all  my  efforts  were  to  induce  him  to 
lean  on  the  Saviour.  He  thought  he  had  been  too  great  a 
sinner  to  be  entitled  to  any  hope,  and  my  great  task  was  to 
overcome  in  him  some  of  those  stings  of  conscience  which 
it  had  taken  the  grace  of  God  to  allay  in  myself.  One  day, 
the  last  time  I  was  with  him,  I  read  the  narrative  of  the 
thief  on  the  cross.  He  listened  to  it  eagerly,  and  when  I 
had  ended,  for  the  first  time,  he  displayed  some  signs  of 
hope  and  joy.  As  I  left  him,  he  took  leave  of  me,  saying 
we  should  never  meet  again.  He  asked  my  prayers,  and  I 
promised  them.  I  went  to  my  own  ward,  and,  while  ac 
tually  engaged  in  redeeming  my  promise,  one  came  to  tell 
me  he  had  gone.  He  sent  me  a  message,  to  say  he  died  a 
happy  man.  The  poor  fellow — happy  fellow,  would  be  a 
better  term — sent  back  all  the  books  he  had  borrowed ;  and 
it  will  serve  to  give  some  idea  of  the  condition  we  were  in, 
in  a  temporal  sense,  if  I  add,  that  he  also  sent  me  a  few 
coppers,  in  order  that  they  might  contribute  to  the  comfort 
of  his  countrymen. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ABOUT  three  months  after  the  death  of  Chapman,  I  was 
well  enough  to  quit  the  hospital.  I  could  walk,  with  the  aid 
of  crutches,  but  had  no  hope  of  ever  being  a  sound  man 
again.  Of  course,  I  had  an  anxious  desire  to  get  home ; 
for  all  my  resolutions,  misanthropical  feelings,  and  resent 
ments,  had  vanished  in  the  moral  change  I  had  undergone. 
My  health,  as  a  whole,  was  now  good.  Temperance,  absti 
nence,  and  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  had  proved  excellent 
doctors;  and,  although  I  had  not,  and  never  shall,  altogether, 
recover  from  the  effects  of  my  fall,  I  had  quite  done  with 
the  "  horrors."  The  last  fit  of  them  I  suffered  was  in  the 
deep  conviction  I  felt  concerning  my  sinful  state.  I  knew 
nothing  of  Temperance  Societies  —  had  never  heard  that 
such  things  existed,  or,  if  I  had,  forgot  it  as  soon  as  heard ; 
and  yet,  unknown  to  myself,  had  joined  the  most  effective 


224  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

and  most  permanent  of  all  these  bodies.  Since  my  fall,  I 
have  not  tasted  spirituous  liquors,  except  as  medicine,  and 
in  very  small  quantities,  nor  do  I  now  feel  the  least  desire 
to  drink.  By  the  grace  of  God,  the  great  curse  of  my  life 
has  been  removed,  and  I  have  lived  a  perfectly  sober  man 
for  the  last  five  years.  I  look  upon  liquor  as  one  of  the 
great  agents  of  the  devil  in  destroying  souls,  and  turn  from 
it,  almost  as  sensitively  as  I  could  wish  to  turn  from  sin. 

I  wrote  to  the  merchant  who  held  my  wages,  on  the  sub 
ject  of  quitting  the  hospital,  but  got  no  answer.  I  then 
resolved  to  go  to  Batavia  myself,  and  took  my  discharge 
from  the  hospital,  accordingly.  I  can  truly  say,  I  left  that 
place,  into  which  I  had  entered  a  miserable,  heart-broken 
cripple,  a  happy  man.  Still,  I  had  nothing ;  not  even  the 
means  of  seeking  a  livelihood.  But  I  was  lightened  of  the 
heaviest  of  all  my  burthens,  and  felt  I  could  go  through  the 
world  rejoicing,  though,  literally,  moving  on  crutches. 

The  hospital  is  seven  miles  from  the  town,  and  I  went 
this  distance  in  a  canal-boat,  Dutch  fashion.  Many  of  these 
canals  exist  in  Java,  and  they  have  had  the  effect  to  make 
the  island  much  more  healthy,  by  draining  the  marshes. 
They  told  me,  the  canal  I  was  on  ran  fifty  miles  into  the 
interior.  The  work  was  done  by  the  natives,  but  under  the 
direction  of  their  masters,  the  Dutch. 

On  reaching  the  town,  I  hobbled  up  to  the  merchant, 
who  gave  me  a  very  indifferent  reception.  He  said  I  had 
cost  too  much  already,  but  that  I  must  return  to  the  hospi« 
tal,  until  an  opportunity  offered  for  sending  me  to  Holland. 
This  I  declined  doing.  Return  to  the  hospital  I  would  not, 
as  I  knew  it  could  do  no  good,  and  my  wish  was  to  get  back 
to  America.  I  then  went  to  the  American  consul,  who 
treated  me  kindly.  I  was  told,  however,  he  could  do  nothing 
for  me,  as  I  had  come  out  in  a  Dutch  ship,  unless  I  relin 
quished  all  claims  to  my  wages,  and  all  claims  on  the  Dutch 
laws.  My  wages  were  a  trifle,  and  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
relinquishing  them,  and  as  for  claims,  I  wished  to  present 
none  on  the  laws  of  Holland. 

The  consul  then  saw  the  Dutch  merchant,  and  the  mat 
ter  was  arranged  between  them.  The  Plato,  the  very  ship 
that  left  Helvoetsluys  in  company  with  us,  was  then  at  Bata 
via,  taking  in  cargo  for  Bremenhaven.  She  had  a  new  cap 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  226 

.am,  and  he  consented  to  receive  me  as  a  consul's  man. 
This  matter  was  all  settled  the  day  I  reached  the  town,  and 
I  was  to  go  on  board  the  ship  in  the  morning.  • 

I  said  nothing  to  the  consul  about  money,  but  left  his 
office  with  the  expectation  of  getting  some  from  the  Dutch 
merchant.  I  had  tasted  no  food  that  day,  and,  on  reaching 
the  merchant's,  I  found  him  on  the  point  of  going  into  the 
country  ;  no  one  sleeping  in  the  town  at  that  season,  who 
could  help  it.  He  took  no  notice  of  me,  and  I  got  no  as 
sistance  ;  perhaps  I  was  legally  entitled  to  none.  I  now  sat 
down  on  some  boxes,  and  thought  I  would  remain  at  that 
spot  until  morning.  Sleeping  in  the  open  air,  on  an  empty 
stomach,  in  that  town,  and  at  that  season,  would  probably 
have  proved  my  death,  had  I  been  so  fortunate  as  to  escape 
being  murdered  by  the  Malays  for  the  clothes  I  had  on. 
Providence  took  care  of  me.  One  of  the  clerks,  a  Portu 
guese,  took  pity  on  me,  and  led  me  to  a  house  occupied  by 
a  negro,  who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity.  We  met 
with  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  finding  admission.  The 
black  said  the  English  and  Americans  were  so  wicked  ho 
was  afraid  of  them;  but,  finding  by  my  discourse  that  I 
was  not  one  of  the  Christian  heathen,  he  altered  his  tone, 
and  nothing  was  then  too  good  for  me.  I  was  fed,  and  he 
sent  for  my  chest,  receiving  with  it  a  bed  and  three  blankets, 
as  a  present  from  the  charitable  clerk.  Thus  were  my  pros 
pects  for  that  night  suddenly  changed  for  the  better  !  I  could 
only  thank  God,  in  my  inmost  heart,  for  all  his  mercies. 

The  old  black,  who  was  a  man  of  some  means,  was  also 
about  to  quit  the  town ;  but,  before  he  went,  he  inquired  if 
I  had  a  bible.  I  told  him  yes ;  still,  he  would  not  rest  un 
til  he  had  pressed  upon  me  a  large  bible,  in  English,  which 
language  he  spoke  very  well.  This  book  had  prayers  for 
seamen  bound  up  with  it.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  sort  of  Eng 
lish  prayer-book,  as  well  as  bible.  This  I  accepted,  and 
have  now  with  me.  As  soon  as  the  old  man  went  away, 
leaving  his  son  behind  him  for  the  moment,  I  began  to  read 
in  my  Pilgrim's  Progress.  The  young  man  expressed  a 
desire  to  examine  the  book,  understanding  English  perfectly. 
After  reading  in  it  for  a  short  time,  he  earnestly  begged  the 
book,  telling  me  he  had  two  sisters,  who  would  be  infinitely 
pleased  to  possess  it.  I  could  not  refuse  him,  and  he  pro 


226  NED    MYERS;   OR, 

mised  to  send  another  book  in  its  place,  which  I  should  find 
equally  good.  He  thus  left  me,  taking  the  Pilgrim's  Pro 
gress  with  him.  Half  an  hour  later  a  servant  brought  me 
the  promised  book,  which  proved  to  be  Doddridge's  Rise  and 
Progress.  On  looking  through  the  pages,  I  found  a  Mexi 
can  dollar  wafered  between  two  of  the  leaves.  All  this  I 
regarded  as  providential,  and  as  a  proof  that  the  Lord  would 
not  desert  me.  My  gratitude,  I  hope,  was  in  proportion. 
This  whole  household  appeared  to  be  religious,  for  I  passed 
half  the  night  in  conversing  with  the  Malay  servants,  on 
the  subject  of  Christianity ;  concerning  which  they  had 
already  received  many  just  ideas.  I  knew  that  my  teach 
ing  was  like  the  blind  instructing  the  blind  ;  but  it  had  the 
merit  of  coming  from  God,  though  in  a  degree  suited  to  my 
humble  claims  on  his  grace. 

In  the  morning,  these  Malays  gave  me  breakfast,  and 
then  carried  my  chest  and  other  articles  to  the  Plato's  boat. 
I  was  happy  enough  to  find  myself,  once  more,  under  the 
stars  and  stripes,  where  I  was  well  received,  and  humanely 
treated.  The  ship  sailed  for  Bremen  about  twenty  days 
after  I  got  on  board  her. 

Of  course,  I  could  do  but  little  on  the  passage.  Whenever 
I  moved  along  the  deck,  it  was  by  crawling,  though  I  could 
work  with  the  needle  and  palm.  A  fortnight  out,  the  car 
penter,  a  New  York  man,  died.  I  tried  to  read  and  pray 
with  him,  but  cannot  say  that  he  showed  any  consciousness 
of  his  true  situation.  We  touched  at  St.  Helena  for  water, 
and,  Napoleon  being  then  dead,  had  no  difficulty  in  getting 
ashore.  After  watering  we  sailed  again,  and  reached  our 
port  in  due  time. 

I  was  now  in  Europe,  a  part  of  the  world  that  I  had  little 
hopes  of  seeing  ten  months  before.  Still  it  was  my  desire 
to  get  to  America,  and  I  was  permitted  to  remain  in  the  ship. 
I  was  treated  in  the  kindest  manner  by  captain  Bunting,  and 
Mr.  Bowden,  the  mate,  who  gave  me  everything  I  needed. 
At  the  end  of  a  few  weeks  we  sailed  again,  for  New  York, 
where  we  arrived  in  the  month  of  August,  1840. 

I  left  the  Plato  at  the  quarantine  ground,  going  to  the 
Sailor's  Retreat.  Here  the  physician  told  me  I  never  could 
recover  the  use  of  my  limb  as  I  had  possessed  it  before,  but 
that  the  leg  would  gradually  grow  stronger,  and  that  I  mighJ 


A     LIFE   BEFORE     THE     MAST.  227 

get  along  without  crutches  in  the  end.  All  this  has  turned 
out  to  be  true.  The  pain  had  long  before  left  me,  weakness 
being  now  the  great  difficulty.  The  hip-joint  is  injured,  and 
this  in  a  way  that  still  compels  me  to  rely  greatly  on  a  stick 
in  walking. 

At  the  Sailor's  Retreat,  I  again  met  Mr.  Miller.  I  now, 
for  the  first  time,  received  regular  spiritual  advice,  and  it 
proved  to  be  of  great  benefit  to  me.  After  remaining  a 
month  at  the  Retreat,  I  determined  to  make  an  application 
for  admission  to  the  Sailor's  Snug  Harbour,  a  richly  endow 
ed  asylum  for  seamen,  on  the  same  island.  In  order  to  be 
admitted,  it  was  necessary  to  have  sailed  under  the  flag  five 
years,  and  to  get  a  character.  I  had  sailed,  with  two  short 
exceptions,  thirty-four  years  under  the  flag,  and  I  do  believe 
in  all  that  time,  the  nineteen  months  of  imprisonment  ex 
cluded,  I  had  not  been  two  years  unattached  to  a  ship.  I 
think  I  must  have  passed  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  century  out 
of  sight  of  land.* 

I  now  went  up  to  New  York,  and  hunted  up  captain  Pell, 
with  whom  I  had  sailed  in  the  Sully  and  in  the  Normandy. 
This  gentleman  gave  me  a  certificate,  and,  as  I  left  him, 
handed  me  a  dollar.  This  was  every  cent  I  had  on  earth. 
Next,  I  found  captain  Witheroudt,  of  the  Silvie  de  Grasse 
who  treated  me  in  precisely  the  same  way.  I  told  him  I 
had  one  dollar  already,  but  he  insisted  it  should  be  two. 
With  these  two  dollars  in  my  pocket,  I  was  passing  up  Wall 
street,  when,  in  looking  about  me,  I  saw  the  pension  office. 
The  reader  will  remember  that  I  left  Washington  with  the 
intention  of  finding  Lemuel  Bryant,  in  order  to  obtain  his 

*  I  find,  in  looking  over  his  papers  and  accounts,  that  Ned,  exclu 
sively  of  all  the  prison-ships,  transports,  and  vessels  in  which  he  made 
passages,  has  belonged  regularly  to  seventy-two  different  crafts  !  In 
some  of  these  vessels  he  made  many  voyages.  In  the  Sterling,  he 
made  several  passages  with  the  writer  ;  besides  four  European  voyages, 
at  a  later  day.  He  made  four  voyages  to  Havre  in  the  Erie,  which 
counts  as  only  one  vessel,  in  the  above  list.  He  was  three  voyages  to 
London,  in  the  Washington,  &c.  &c.  &c. ;  and  often  made  two  voy 
ages  in  the  same  ship.  I  am  of  opinion  that  Ned's  calculation  of  his 
having  been  twenty-five  years  out  of  sight  of  land  is  very  probably 
true.  He  must  have  sailed,  in  all  ways,  in  near  a  hundred  different 
craft-— EDITOR. 


228  NED    MYERS;    OR, 

certificate,  that  I  might  get  a  pension  for  the  injury  received 
on  board  the  Scourge.  With  this  project,  I  had  connected 
a  plan  of  returning  to  Boston,  and  of  getting  some  employ 
ment  in  the  Navy  Yard.  My  pension-ticket  had,  in  conse* 
quence,  been  made  payable  at  Boston.  My  arrival  at  New 
York,  and  the  shadding  expedition,  had  upset  all  this  plan ; 
and  before  I  went  to  Savannah,  I  had  carried  my  pension- 
ticket  to  the  agent  in  this  Wall  street  office,  and  requested 
him  to  get  another,  made  payable  in  New  York.  This  was 
the  last  I  had  seen  of  my  ticket,  and  almost  the  last  I  had 
thought  of  my  pension.  But,  I  now  crossed  the  street,  went 
into  the  office,  and  was  recognised  immediately.  Every 
thing  was  in  rule,  and  I  came  out  of  the  office  with  fifty-six 
dollars  in  my  pockets  I  I  had  no  thought  of  this  pension, 
at  all,  in  coming  up  to  town.  It  was  so  much  money  show 
ered  down  upon  me,  unexpectedly. 

For  a  man  of  my  habits,  who  kept  clear  of  drink,  I  was 
now  rich.  Instead  of  remaining  in  town,  however,  I  went 
immediately  down  to  the  Harbour,  and  presented  myself  to 
its  respectable  superintendant,  the  venerable  Captain  Whet- 
ten.*  I  was  received  into  the  institution  without  any  diffi 
culty,  and  have  belonged  to  it  ever  since.  My  entrance  at 
Sailors'  Snug  Harbour  took  place  Sept.  17,  1840 ;  just  one 
month  after  I  landed  at  Sailors'  Retreat.  The  last  of  these 
places  is  a  seamen's  hospital,  where  men  are  taken  in  only 
to  be  cured ;  while  the  first  is  an  asylum  for  worn-out  mari 
ners,  for  life.  The  last  is  supported  by  a  bequest  made, 
many  years  ago,  by  an  old  ship-master,  whose  remains  lie 
in  front  of  the  building. 

Knowing  myself  now  to  be  berthed  for  the  rest  of  my 
days,  should  I  be  so  inclined,  and  should  I  remain  worthy 
to  receive  the  benefits  of  so  excellent  an  institution,  I  began 
to  look  about  me,  like  a  man  who  had  settled  down  in  the 
world.  One  of  my  first  cares,  was  to  acquit  myself  of  the 
duty  of  publicly  joining  some  church  of  Christ,  and  thus 
acknowledge  my  dependence  on  his  redemption  and  mercy. 
Mr.  Miller,  he  whose  sermons  had  made  so  deep  an  impres 
sion  on  my  mind,  was  living  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
Harbour,  and  to  him  I  turned  in  my  need.  I  was  an  Epis 

*  Pronounced,  Wheaton. —  EDITOR. 


A     LIFE     BEFORE     THE     MAST.  229 

eopalian  by  infant  baptism,  and  I  am  still  as  much  attached 
to  that  form  of  worship,  as  to  any  other ;  but  sects  have  little 
weight  with  me,  the  heart  being  the  main-stay,  under  God's 
grace.  Two  of  us,  then,  joined  Mr.  Miller's  church ;  and  I 
have  ever  since  continued  one  of  his  communicants.  I  have 
not  altogether  deserted  the  communion  in  which  I  was  bap 
tized  ;  occasionally  communing  in  the  church  of  Mr.  Moore. 
To  me,  there  is  no  difference ;  though  I  suppose  more  learned 
Christians  may  find  materials  for  a  quarrel,  in  the  distinc 
tions  which  exist  between  these  two  churches.  I  hope  never 
to  quarrel  with  either. 

To  my  surprise,  sometime  after  I  was  received  into  the 
Harbour,  I  ascertained  that  my  sister  had  removed  to  New 
York,  and  was  then  living  in  the  place.  I  felt  it,  now,  to 
be  a  duty  to  hunt  her  up,  and  see  her.  This  I  did ;  and  we 
met,  again,  after  a  separation  of  five-and-twenty  years.  She 
could  tell  me  very  little  of  my  family ;  but  I  now  learned,  for 
the  first  time,  that  my  father  had  been  killed  in  battle. 
Who,  or  what  he  was,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain, 
beyond  the  facts  already  stated  in  the  opening  of  the  memoir. 

I  had  ever  retained  a  kind  recollection  of  the  treatment 
of  Captain  Johnston,  and  accident  threw  into  my  way  some 
information  concerning  him.  The  superintendant  had  put 
me  in  charge  of  the  library  of  the  institution  ;  and,  one  day, 
I  overheard  some  visitors  talking  of  Wiscasset.  Upon  this, 
I  ventured  to  inquire  after  my  old  master,  and  was  glad  to 
learn  that  he  was  not  only  living,  but  in  good  health  and 
circumstances.  To  my  surprise  I  was  told  that  a  nephew 
of  his  was  actually  living  within  a  mile  of  me.  In  Septem 
ber,  1842,  I  went  to  Wiscasset,  to  visit  Captain  Johnston, 
and  found  myself  received  like  the  repentant  prodigal.  The 
old  gentleman,  and  his  sisters,  seemed  glad  to  see  me ;  and, 
I  found  that  the  former  had  left  the  seas,  though  he  still 
remained  a  ship-owner ;  having  a  stout  vessel  of  five  hun 
dred  tons,  which  is,  at  this  moment,  named  after  our  old 
craft,  the  Sterling. 

I  remained  at  Wiscasset  several  weeks.  During  this 
time,  Captain  Johnston  and  myself  talked  over  old  times,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  and  I  told  him  I  thought  one  of  our 
old  shipmates  was  still  living.  On  his  asking  whom,  I  in 
quired  if  ho  remembered  the  youngster,  of  tho  name  of 


230  ICED    MYERS;   OR, 

Cooper,  who  had  been  in  the  Sterling.  He  answered,  per 
fectly  well,  and  that  he  supposed  him  to  be  the  Captain 
Cooper  who  was  then  in  the  navy.  I  had  thought  so,  too, 
for  a  long  time ;  but  happened  to  be  on  board  the  Hudson, 
at  New  York,  when  a  Captain  Cooper  visited  her.  Hearing 
his  name,  I  went  on  deck  expressly  to  see  him,  and  was 
soon  satisfied  it  was  not  my  old  ship-mate.  There  are  two 
Captains  Cooper  in  the  navy, — father  and  son, — but  neither 
had  been  in  the  Sterling.  Now,  the  author  of  many  naval 
tales,  and  of  the  Naval  History,  was  from  Cooperstown, 
New  York ;  and  I  had  taken  it  into  my  head  this  was  the 
very  person  who  had  been  with  us  in  the  Sterling.  Captain 
Johnston  thought  not;  but  I  determined  to  ascertain  the 
fact,  immediately  on  my  return  to  New  York. 

Quitting  Wiscasset,  I  came  back  to  the  Harbour,  in  the 
month  of  November,  1842.  I  ought  to  say,  that  the  men 
at  this  institution,  who  maintain  good  characters,  can  always 
get  leave  to  go  where  they  please,  returning  whenever  they 
please.  There  is  no  more  restraint  than  is  necessary  to 
comfort  and  good  order ;  the  object  being  to  make  old  tars 
comfortable.  Soon  after  my  return  to  the  Harbour,  I  wrote 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Fenimore  Cooper,  and  sent  it  to  his  residence, 
at  Cooperstown,  making  the  inquiries  necessary  to  know  if 
he  were  the  person  of  the  same  family  who  had  been  in  the 
Sterling.  I  got  an  answer,  beginning  in  these  words — "  I 
am  your  old  ship-mate,  Ned."  Mr.  Cooper  informed  me 
when  he  would  be  in  town,  and  where  he  lodged. 

In  the  spring,  I  got  a  message  from  Mr.  Blancard,  the 
keeper  of  the  Globe  Hotel,  and  the  keeper,  also,  of  Brighton, 
near  the  Harbour,  to  say  that  Mr.  Cooper  was  in  town,  and 
wished  to  see  me.  Next  day,  I  went  up,  accordingly  ;  but 
did  not  find  him  in.  After  paying  one  or  two  visits,  I  was 
hobbling  up  Broadway,  to  go  to  the  Globe  again,  when  my 
old  commander  at  Pensacola,  Commodore  Bolton,  passed 
down  street,  arm-in-arm  with  a  stranger,  I  saluted  the  com 
modore,  who  nodded  his  head  to  me,  and  this  induced  the 
stranger  to  look  round.  Presently  I  heard  "  Ned  !"  in  a 
voice  that  I  knew  immediately,  though  I  had  not  heard  it  in 
thirty-seven  years.  It  was  my  old  ship-mate — the  gentleman 
who  has  written  out  this  account  of  my  career,  from  my 
verbal  narrative  of  the  facts. 


A     LIFB     BEFORE    THE     MAST.  231 

Mr.  Cooper  asked  me  to  go  up  ko  his  place,  in  the  coun 
try,  and  pass  a  few  weeks  there.  I  cheerfully  consented, 
and  we  reached  Cooperstown  early  in  June.  Here  1  found 
a  neat  village,  a  beautiful  lake,  nine  miles  long,  and,  alto 
gether,  a  beautiful  country.  I  had  never  been  as  far  from 
the  sea  before,  the  time  when  I  served  on  Lake  Ontario 
excepted.  Cooperstown  lies  in  a  valley,  but  Mr.  Cooper 
tells  me  it  is  at  an  elevation  of  twelve  hundred  feet  above 
tide-water.  To  me,  the  clouds  appeared  so  low,  I  thought 
I  could  almost  shake  hands  with  them ;  and,  altogether,  the 
air  and  country  were  different  from  any  I  had  ever  seen,  or 
breathed,  before. 

My  old  shipmate  took  me  often  on  the  Lake,  which  I  will 
say  is  a  slippery  place  to  navigate.  I  thought  I  had  seen 
all  sorts  of  winds  before  I  saw  the  Otsego,  but,  on  this  lake 
it  sometimes  blew  two  or  three  different  ways  at  the  same 
time.  While  knocking  about  this  piece  of  water,  in  a  good 
stout  boat,  I  related  to  my  old  shipmate  many  of  the  inci 
dents  of  my  wandering  life,  until,  one  day,  he  suggested  it 
might  prove  interesting  to  publish  them.  I  was  willing, 
could  the  work  be  made  useful  to  my  brother  sailors,  and 
those  who  might  be  thrown  into  the  way  of  temptations  like 
those  which  came  so  near  wrecking  all  my  hopes,  both  for 
this  world,  and  that  which  is  to  come.  We  accordingly 
went  to  work  between  us,  and  the  result  is  now  laid  before 
the  world.  I  wish  it  understood,  that  this  is  literally  my 
own  story,  logged  by  my  old  shipmate. 

It  is  now  time  to  clew  up.  When  a  man  has  told  all  he 
has  to  say,  the  sooner  he  is  silent  the  better.  Every  word 
that  has  been  related,  I  believe  to  be  true ;  when  I  am 
wrong,  it  proceeds  from  ignorance,  or  want  of  memory.  I 
may  possibly  have  made  some  trifling  mistakes  about  dates, 
and  periods,  but  I  think  they  would  turn  out  to  be  few,  on 
inquiry.  In  many  instances  I  have  given  my  impressions, 
which,  like  those  of  other  men,  may  be  right,  or  may  be 
wrong.  As  for  the  main  facts,  however,  I  know  them  to 
be  true,  nor  do  I  think  myself  much  out  ef  the  way,  in  any 
of  the  details. 

This  is  the  happiest  period  of  my  life,  and  has  been  so 
since  I  left  the  hospital  at  Batavia.  I  do  not  know  that  I 
nave  ever  passed  a  happier  summer  than  the  present  has 


232  NED     MYERS. 

been.  I  should  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  everything,  d  i 
not  my  time  hang  so  idle  on  my  hands  at  the  Harbour.  I 
want  something  to  occupy  my  leisure  moments,  and  do  not 
despair  of  yet  being  able  to  find  a  mode  of  life  more  suitable 
to  the  activity  of  my  early  days.  I  have  friends  enough — 
more  than  I  deserve  —  and,  yet,  a  man  needs  occupation, 
ivho  has  the  strength  and  disposition  to  be  employed.  That 
which  is  to  happen  is  in  the  hands  of  Providence,  and  I 
humbly  trust  I  shall  be  cared  for,  to  the  end,  as  I  have  been 
cared  for,  through  so  many  scenes  of  danger  and  trial. 

My  great  wish  is  that  this  picture  of  a  sailor's  risks  and 
hardships,  may  have  some  effect  in  causing  this  large  and  use 
ful  class  of  men  to  think  on  the  subject  of  their  habits.  I  en 
tertain  no  doubt  that  the  money  I  have  disposed  of  far  worse 
than  if  I  had  thrown  it  into  the  sea,  which  went  to  reduce 
me  to  that  mental  hell,  the  *  horrors,'  and  which,  on  one 
occasion,  at  least,  drove  me  to  the  verge  of  suicide,  would 
have  formed  a  sum,  had  it  been  properly  laid  by,  on  which 
I  might  now  have  been  enjoying  an  old  age  of  comfort  and 
respectability.  It  is  seldom  that  a  seaman  cannot  lay  by  a 
hundred  dollars  in  a  twelvemonth — oftentimes  I  have  earned 
double  that  amount,  beyond  my  useful  outlays — and  a  hun 
dred  dollars  a  year,  at  the  end  of  thirty  years,  would  give 
such  a  man  an  independence  for  the  rest  of  his  days.  This 
is  far  from  all,  however ;  the  possession  of  means  would 
awaken  the  desire  of  advancement  in  the  calling,  and  thou 
sands,  who  now  remain  before  the  mast,  would  long  since 
have  been  officers,  could  they  have  commanded  the  self- 
respect  that  property  is  apt  to  create. 

On  the  subject  of  liquor,  I  can  say  nothing  that  has  not 
often  been  said  by  others,  in  language  far  better  than  I  can 
use.  I  do  not  think  I  was  as  bad,  in  this  respect,  as  per 
haps  a  majority  of  my  associates ;  yet,  this  narrative  will 
show  how  often  the  habit  of  drinking  to  excess  impeded  my 
advance.  It  was  fast  converting  me  into  a  being  inferior  to 
a  man,  and,  but  for  God's  mercy,  might  have  rendered  me 
the  perpetrator  of  crimes  that  it  would  shock  me  to  think 
of,  in  my  sober  and  sane  moments. 

The  past,  I  have  related  as  faithfully  as  I  have  been  able 
so  to  do.  The  future  is  with  God ;  to  whom  bolongeth  pow 
cr,  and  glory,  for  ever  and  ever ! 


TO  DE«>M  TO  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 


L.D2lA-60m-3,'70 
(N5382slO)476-A-32 


